Leila Zerrougui (born 1956) is an Algerian legal expert on human rights and

administration of justice The administration of justice is the process by which the legal system of a government is executed. The presumed goal of such an administration is to provide justice for all those accessing the legal system. The phrase is also commonly used to d ...

. She has served as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (

MONUSCO The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO, an acronym based on its French name , is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which was estab ...

) since January 2018.

Early life and education

Zerrougui was born in

Souk Ahras Souk Ahras ( Berber: ''Tagast''; ancient name: ''Thagast''; ar, سوق أهراس) is a municipality in Algeria. It is the capital of Souk Ahras Province. The Numidian city of Thagaste (or Tagaste), on whose ruins Souk Ahras was built, was the ...

. She graduated from L'Ecole Nationale d'Administration (Algiers) in 1980. Since 1993, she has held various academic positions at law schools in Algeria, and was associate professor of L'Ecole Supérieure de la Magistrature (Algiers). She has published extensively on the administration of justice and human rights.

Career

She was Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict from September 2012 to May 2017. In this capacity, she served as an independent advocate to build awareness and give prominence to the rights and protection of boys and girls affected by armed conflict. She was a member of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention under the United Nations Human Rights Council from 2001, and served as the Working Group's Chairperson-Rapporteur from 2003 until May 2008. Prior to this, she had a long career in the Algerian judiciary and, in 2000, was appointed to the Algerian Supreme Court. She served as a juvenile judge and judge of first instance from 1980 to 1986, and as an appeals court judge from 1986 to 1997. From 1998 to 2000, she served as legal adviser to the Cabinet of the Ministry of Justice and, from 2000 to 2008, as legal adviser to the cabinet of the

President of Algeria The president of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is the head of state and chief executive of Algeria, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Algerian People's National Armed Forces. History of the office The Tripoli Program, wh ...

. She also worked in various positions within the Algerian government and was a member of the Algerian National Commission on the Reform of the Judiciary. Prior to her appointment as Special Representative in 2012, she was Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Deputy Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) where, since 2008, she spearheaded the mission's efforts in strengthening the rule of law and protection of civilians. In 2013 she was succeeded by

Abdallah Wafy Abdallah Wafy (1955 – 16 December 2020) was a Nigerien civil servant and diplomat. He served as the United Nations Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the United Nations Organization Stab ...

References

External links

childrenandarmedconflict.un.org Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict for
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zerrougui, Leila 1956 births Living people People from Souk Ahras Algerian women lawyers Algerian academics Algerian diplomats Algerian judges Algerian women diplomats 21st-century Algerian people Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations