Jack Mason Law & Democracy Initiative Advisory Board Welcomes New Members

The Jack Mason Law & Democracy Initiative of Books For Africa is very proud to announce several notable additions to its Advisory Board.  The Advisory Board is co-chaired by Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General and Walter Mondale, former US Vice President.  A list of all current advisory board members is available at www.booksforafrica.org/law.

New members joining the Advisory Board in 2012 are:
Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor, International Criminal Court, The Hague - Chief Prosecutor Bensouda is only the second person to hold her position at the International Criminal Court. She replaced the Court’s first chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo. The ICC is charged with organizing tribunals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.  Bensouda served as a trial attorney for the ICC tribunal on the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and has served as deputy prosecutor since 2004.
Neneh Cham, President, Female Lawyer's Association of The Gambia - Neneh Cham is a great supporter of the ideals of the Jack Mason Law & Democracy Initiative. As the current president of the Female Lawyers Association of the Gambia, Cham leads a new organization of lawyers that promote women’s and children’s rights in the Gambia. Her NGO also promotes gender equality and the principles of the United Nations and African Union in respect to women and children.
Yvonne Fiadjoe, Senior Counsel, African Development Bank, Tunis – as an attorney with the African Development Bank, Fiadjoe understands the great need for strong legal education systems in promoting the rule of law throughout Africa. She is a graduate of the Ghana School of Law and an active member of the Africa Committee of the American Bar Association which promotes international development, investment and trade, good governance, and capacity building in Africa.
Sam Hanson, shareholder, Briggs and Morgan, former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice-Sam Hanson practiced with Briggs and Morgan for 34 years. He was the litigation section head and president, before serving as a judge on the MN Court of Appeals and then on the MN Supreme Court. His expertise in utility regulation, arbitration, and litigation will help guide the Jack Mason Law & Democracy Initiative, for these areas of practice will be further institutionalized as African legal systems develop.
Olufunmi Oluyede, Co-Chair, American Bar Association, International Human Rights Committee- As Co-Chair person, Oluyede works to lobby for development of the “Rule of Law” through policy, research and publications. She is also the Chairperson of the Lagos State (Nigeria) Chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers. Through the federation Oluyede works for the enhancement and protection of the rights and interests of women, children and the underprivileged in the Lagos environs.
Georgina Theodora Wood, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana - Since joining the Judicial Service of Ghana in 1974, Her Ladyship Chief Justice Wood is making her mark in the Judicial Service of Ghana, not just as the first woman to serve as the head of the Republic of Ghana’s judiciary, but also as a judicial reformer focused on improving access to justice and enhancing the public’s trust in the court system.  She is also a champion for the judiciary’s commitment to the protection of human rights.