Reine Alapini-Gansou

Alapini-Gansou was born in Abidjan in Ivory Coast on August 11, 1956.[1] She has a degree in Common Law from the University of Lyon in France and a master's degree in Business Law and Judicial lCareers from the National University of Benin.[2] She also has a joint postgraduate degree from the Universities of Maastricht, Lomé and Bhutan.[2]

Alapini-Gansou was admitted to the Benin Bar in 1986.[2] She worked for Avocats Sans Frontières Belgium on the project "Justice for all in Rwanda" in 2001.[2] She has taught General Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at the University of Abomey-Calavi since 2001[1] and has authored a number of research papers in human rights and law.[3] She was a member of the Benin Women Lawyers Association and initiated several laws protecting women in Benin.[1]

Alapini-Gansou was an intern for the International Conference of Bars in Paris in 1988 and a trainee of the International Organization for Development Law in Rome from 2000 to 2002.[1] As a member of the Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and with the African Commission since 2007, she took part in developing a Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Older Persons in Africa, and a Protocol to the African Charter Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa.[1] In 2008, she was a consultant for the World Health Organization for the drafting of a bill to promote and protect the human rights of mentally ill.[1] She has also been a consultant for the International Labor Office on human rights for mentally ill people and people living with HIV in the workplace.[1] She was appointed a member of the United Nations International Mission of Inquiry on electoral violence in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire from May to June 2011.[1] She was also Head of the Human Rights Component of the Mission African International Support Mali from April 2013 to October 2014.[1] Alapini-Gansou was a member of several United Nations commissions into human rights violations. In 2011, she was appointed as judge at the Permanent Court of Arbitration.[2]

Alapini-Gansou was a member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights for twelve years, including working as Special Rapporteur from 2005-2009 and 2012-2017,[4] and chairing the Commission from 2009 until 2012.[2][5] She trained French-speaking lawyers on proceedings before the International Criminal Court starting 2012.[1] She initiated the referral of human rights violations perpetrated in Libya in 2010 to the African Court of Human Rights and Peoples[1] As Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders in In Africa, she conducted studies on women defenders in Africa and on freedom of association in Africa.[1] In September 2016, she was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations as a member of the Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations in Burundi.[1]

Alapini-Gansou was appointed to the International Criminal Court in December 2017, commencing her term on 11 March 2018.[3]

• Laureate of the Prize of Human Rights for the Fiftieth year of African Countries independence by the French Academy of Sciences, Sorbonne, 2010[3]
• 25th Anniversary Award of the African Commission on Human rights for contributions to the service of human rights for Africa, October 2012[1]
• Distinction for contributions to the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation, UNAIDS, 2014[1]

• "From article 64 to article 122-1 of the Penal Code: a reform halfway", Annual Review of African Mental Health Assistance "African Realities" 1999 *"Pathological Psychological Aspects of Rape in Africa: The Case of Benin and Congo"
• "Violence against women: the interest of setting up a cell of medico-psycho-legal care", Benin Médical N ° 39 / 40-2008
• "Benin's code of people and family at the test of the application" 2012
• "State responsibility for sexual violence in Africa", 2016;
• "Adoption in Benin, between law and culture", congress on mental health, November 2016
• "The legislator and the African judge in the success of the mission of the Court International Criminal, 2017[1]