Judge Monageng appointed ICC Special Adviser
Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday February 24, 2025 12:56
Monageng has been appointed alongside Evelyn Ama Ankumah as Special Advisers without portfolios. In a statement from their website, the ICC states that the appointment of special advisers is intended to create a network of experts representing different regions of the world with cultural, linguistic, and gender diversity. Their specific expertise reinforces the office of the prosecutor's capabilities to effectively and efficiently discharge its mandate under the Statute, and to strengthen specialisation on a wide range of issues and priority areas identified by the Prosecutor. “I am delighted to welcome Judge Monageng and Evelyn Ankumah to the roster of special advisers, whose expertise will significantly enhance the office’s work on critical issues. Their involvement will undoubtedly provide tremendous benefits to our Rome Statute stakeholders and staff. I deeply appreciate their generosity in offering their time, extensive experience, and valuable insights,” stated Prosecutor Khan.
Monageng is an international expert with over 30 years of experience in law and human rights. She has been the Botswana High Commissioner to South Africa since November 2022 and served as president of the Southern African Development Community Administrative Tribunal (SADCAT) until 2024. Monageng was also an ICC Judge from 2009 to 2018, held roles such as Appeals Division Judge and First vice president. She has served as a Judge in Eswatini and The Gambia, and as chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. She has received numerous accolades, including an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Botswana and the Human Rights Award from the International Association of Women Judges in 2014. Monageng is also an experienced lecturer. During her career, Judge Monageng acquired broad experience in the promotion and protection of human rights issues, having been a member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (2003-2009), and as the Commission's chairperson (November 2007). She also chaired one of the special mechanisms of the Commission, the Follow-up Committee on torture, inhumane, degrading and other treatment. In 1994 she was appointed Deputy Chief Litigation Officer in the United Nations Observer Mission to South Africa. She obtained a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Botswana, and started her legal career as a Magistrate in Botswana.
Monageng served as the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Law Society of Botswana for many years. She has received a number of awards over the course of her career recognising her efforts. These include the Human Rights Award given by the African Human Rights Consortium (Gaborone) in 2012, the Presidential Order of Honour from former Botswana president Ian Khama for outstanding service in September 2013, and the Human Rights Award by the International Association of Women Judges in 2014. These awards are good evidence of her impact on the legal landscape in Botswana and internationally. Special advisers to the prosecutor are persons with outstanding professional credentials and expertise in their fields. They provide advice to the Prosecutor within their respective mandates as Special Advisers, and may assist in training initiatives of the office. They work on a pro bono basis and are required to sign a confidentiality agreement and are bound by the 'Standards of Conduct'.