UN chief appoints Okoth-Obbo of Uganda as special adviser on responsibility to protect

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed George William Okoth-Obbo of Uganda as his Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect. He will succeed Karen Smith of South Africa, to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful.

So honored to receive this trust to serve as @antonioguterres Special Adviser on #R2P.Will commence appointment early 2022+look forward to collaborate with all to the best of my dedication to advance this what remains a profound imperative of our times. https://t.co/426eZtTbJ2

— George Okoth-Obbo (@GeorgeOkothObbo) December 7, 2021

Currently Assistant Secretary-General and Secretary and Head of the Secretariat of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement, a position to which he was appointed by the Secretary-General in 2019, Okoth-Obbo has had a United Nations career spanning over 30 years.

Okoth-Obbo holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University and a diploma in legal practice from the Law Development Centre in Uganda.  Prior to joining UNHCR, he was a Lecturer in Law at the Law Development Centre and Faculty of Law at Makerere University respectively.