By Desmond Davies
London, Feb 19, GNA – Evelyn Ama Ankumah, a outstanding Ghanaian worldwide lawyer and human rights advocate, is one in all two African authorized luminaries who’ve been newly appointed as Special Advisers with out portfolio to the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The different is Judge Sanji Monageng from Botswana.
In making the announcement on Tuesday, the ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, mentioned their “expertise will significantly enhance the Office’s work on critical issues”.
“Their involvement will undoubtedly present great advantages to our Rome Statute stakeholders and workers.
“I deeply appreciate their generosity in offering their time, extensive experience and valuable insights.”
Ms Ankumah, founding father of Africa Legal Aid (AFLA) primarily based in The Hague, has authorized expertise throughout Africa, Europe and North America, and has led initiatives selling gender-sensitive and victim-centred approaches to worldwide felony justice.
She was a Research Fellow at Maastricht University and authored a groundbreaking ebook on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
A press release by the ICC mentioned Ms Ankumah “shaped key legal frameworks for international justice, including the Review of the Kampala Amendments on the Crime of Aggression, and she leads the Gender Mentoring Training Programme for judges”.
She additionally helped set up the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA), and is a member of the International Gender Champions Network.
As editor and writer, she has printed six books and over 40 editions of the AFLA Quarterly journal, “continuing to drive global efforts for justice, accountability and human rights,” the ICC mentioned.
Dr Monageng, with 30 years of expertise in legislation and human rights, was an ICC Judge from 2009 to 2018, holding roles similar to Appeals Division Judge and First Vice President.
She has served as a Judge in Eswatini and The Gambia, and as Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
She has obtained quite a few accolades, together with the Human Rights Award from the International Association of Women Judges in 2014.
The ICC mentioned Special Advisers “are persons with outstanding professional credentials”.
Their appointment on a professional bono foundation “is intended to create a network of experts representing different regions of the world with cultural, linguistic and gender diversity”.
“Their specific expertise reinforces the OTP’s capabilities to effectively and efficiently discharge its mandate under the [Rome] Statute [of the ICC], and to strengthen specialisation on a wide range of issues and priority areas identified by the Prosecutor,” the ICC assertion added.
GNA