Dr Livingstone Sewanyana’s mandate as the UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order has been renewed for an additional three years after 22 countries voted in his favor early this week.
Sewanyana has been serving in the capacity for the last three years with emphasis on promotion of democracy, human rights and good governance.
The renewal of Dr Sewanyana’s mandate was supported by 22 countries notable among them being Cuba and German.
To be seconded for the juicy job, the global body demands a very high degree of distinguished qualification and efficiency, a test that the very hard-working Ugandan passed with flying colors.
This UN mandate is meant to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, to practice tolerance and good neighbourliness, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples.
In light of the mandate, Dr Sewanyana will continue to assess whether countries are democratic and promote equity in the execution of their duties and whether or not there is improvement at country level.
Who is Dr Sewanyana?
Dr Sewanyana has served in the same position for the last three years and made four presentations to the UN Council. He also visited over 20 countries in the first three years of his mandate.
He is the Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), a Ugandan civil society organization.
A lawyer by profession and advocate of the High Court of Uganda, he holds a PhD in Public Law from the University of Cape Town (South Africa), a Master of Laws in International Human Rights Law (with Distinction) from the University of Essex (United Kingdom) and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Makerere University (Uganda).
He also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies from the Law Development Centre, Kampala, as well as certificates in specialized studies from the Institute of Social Studies (the Netherlands) and the International Institute of Human Rights (France).
He has written and published widely on the subject of Human rights.
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