Submitted by Robin on
Name
Benyam Dawit MEZMUR
Country of origin
Ethiopia
Working languages:
English, Amharic
Current position/function:
Associate Professor of Law, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Lecturer/superviser on an ad hoc basis at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Director (Acting) of the Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights and Coordinator of its Children’s Rights Project, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
Chairperson United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
Main professional activities:
Mr Mezmur is currently the Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and served as Vice-Chairperson from May 2013 until May 2015. As an academician Mr Mezmur has lectured masters courses/ and supervised students on children’s rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, international protection of human rights, international family law, and the African human rights system.
He has also lectured in a number of academic institutions in Africa and Europe. He coordinates/conducts research on children’s rights in a number of African countries, and has been involved in Institutional efforts aimed at providing technical support to governments through UN agencies such as UNICEF.
In addition, he is involved in advocacy work on the rights of the child with treaty bodies at the UN, the Human Rights Council, and regionally, He continues to serve on the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child of the African Union.