Elīna Celmiņa is Deputy State Secretary at Latvia’s Ministry of Welfare. She is a Latvian delegate to the Social Protection Committee (an advisory policy committee to the EU Employment and Social Affairs Council) and a member of the EU Disability Platform.
Ms. Celmiņa has 20 years of experience dealing with social policy issues, including social inclusion, social assistance, equal opportunities for persons with disabilities, and gender equality. She has worked on significant social policy reforms in Latvia, notably in the area of disability policy toward fulfilling Latvia’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Currently, Ms. Celmiņa’s primary responsibilities include the supervision of the drafting process of legal acts, policy planning documents, and concept papers in the field of disability policy, social services, social work, and social assistance, as well as labor relations and occupational safety and health. She is also involved in developing and monitoring programs and projects co-financed by the EU.
Ms. Celmiņa supervises the Ministry’s cooperation and consultations with disability NGOs. She has studied Social Work and holds a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences (Sociology).