Professor Bina D’Costa has been appointed as the United Nations Human Rights Council special procedures mandate holder in the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD)

She is a professor at the Department of International Relations, Coral Bell School of Asia-Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University.

The international relations expert and human rights advocate said: “Our shared goal towards advancing and protecting the rights of people of African descent in all their diversities is a key motivation for me to take up this position.”

She also added: “In this role I bring with me more than 25 years of advocacy, research and field experience in academia, human rights organisations, and the aid sector. I have spent most of my career researching post-conflict environments, fragile contexts and challenging political and security settings, particularly in South and Southeast Asia, Southern Europe, East Africa, and the Horn of Africa.”