Ms. Marie-Therese Keita-Bocoum

Ms. Marie-Therese Keita-Bocoum was appointed as the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic in January 2014. The mandate was established by the UN Human Rights Council on 27 September 2013. In her capacity as an independent expert, Ms. Marie Therese Keita-Bocoum serves in her personal capacity, independently of any government or any organization.

Ms. Marie-Therese Keita-Bocoum, a former Professor at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences (humanities) at the University of Abidjan, in Ivory Coast, held various positions in her country and at the United Nations. Among others, she first served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi, and then as Director of the Human Rights Division and the Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Darfur (UNAMID). Prior to that, she also served as OHCHR’s Representative at the UN Office in West Africa (UNOWA).

Ms. Keita Bocoum holds a Doctorate in contemporary history from the University of Aix-Marseille I, Aix-en Provence, France.