Francesca Albanese | |
|---|---|
 Albanese in 2022 | |
| Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories | |
| Assumed office 1 May 2022[1] | |
| Preceded by | Michael Lynk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francesca P. Albanese 1977 (age 46–47) Ariano Irpino, Italy |
| Alma mater | University of Pisa |
| Profession | Academic, lawyer |
Francesca P. Albanese (Italian pronunciation: [franˈtʃeska albaˈneːse, -eːze]; born 1977) is an Italian international lawyer and academic.[2] On 1 May 2022, she was appointed United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories for a three-year term.[3] She is the first woman to hold the position.
Albanese was born in Ariano Irpino, Italy in 1977. She holds a law degree with honours from the University of Pisa and a Master of Laws in human rights from SOAS University of London, and is completing her PhD in International Refugee Law at the Law Faculty of Amsterdam University.[2] She is an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, a Senior Advisor on Migration and Forced Displacement at the non-profit Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD),[2] and Research Fellow at the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam.
As part of her current position as a UN special rapporteur, Albanese has been critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories and recommended in her first report that UN member states develop a plan to end the occupation and apartheid. After the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Albanese called for an immediate ceasefire and warned that Palestinians in Gaza were at risk of ethnic cleansing. On 26 March 2024, Albanese reported to the UN Human Rights Council that Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to genocide.
There has been international attention and controversy surrounding Albanese's appointment and tenure as Special Rapporteur. Critics of Albanese have accused her of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias. Some human rights groups and scholars have said the accusations are illegitimate attempts to discredit her.
- ^ "OHCHR | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967". OHCHR.
- ^ a b c "Lunchtime Seminar: 'Resetting the Mind: Settler Colonialism, Apartheid and the Right to Self-determination in Palestine'". University of Galway. 6 November 2022.
- ^ Richard Falk; John Dugard; Michael Lynk (15 January 2023). Protecting Human Rights in Occupied Palestine: Working Through the United Nations. SCB Distributors. ISBN 978-1-949762-55-6.