The appointee, Ida Persson, is a Gambian lawyer who doubles as an expert on transitional justice matters. From 2018 to 2021, she served UNDP in The Gambia as a Transitional Justice & Human Rights Specialist, before she was re-designated, in 2021 to 2023, as Programme Specialist & Head of Governance.
Ms Persson had led the UN in The Gambia on issues related to transitional justice, preparing research papers and analyses, and contributed to the revision of the UN Secretary General's revised Guidance Note on Transitional Justice.
The young lawyer, who got her B.A. in International Relations and Communication from Hult International Business School and her L.L.M. in Public International Law from Leiden University, has also managed programmes on elections, local governance, rule of law, security sector reform, human rights, accountability and anti-corruption frameworks, parliamentary development, as well as CSO participation in democratic processes.
Her appointment takes effect on the 1st of January 2024.