Adama Dieng (Senegal) is a former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of genocide (2012-2020). Previously, he served as the United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (2001-2012). He was the key actor and driving force behind the establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and produced the first draft of the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.

Mr. Dieng began his professional career at the national level in Senegal as Registrar of the Regional Court of Tambacounda and the Labour Court of Kaolack (1973-1976). He was later promoted and served from 1976 to 1982 as Registrar of the Supreme Court of Senegal. In July 1982, he started his international career by joining the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, Switzerland, as Legal Officer for Africa until October 1990.

In 1990, he was appointed as Secretary General of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and successfully served two five- year term. During his tenure, the Commission contributed immensely to the elaboration of various international instruments and strengthened cooperation with key continental and international institutions such as the former Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the Council of Europe.

Over many years of his career, Mr. Dieng, has led many fact-finding missions on human rights and rule of law as well as trial observation missions around the world. In 1993 he was appointed by the UN Secretary General as his Special Envoy to Malawi to mediate between the Government and various political groups. In 1995, while serving his second term as the ICJ Secretary General, Mr. Dieng was appointed once more as the United Nations Independent Expert for Haiti (1995-2000).

As an international lawyer and well acclaimed human rights expert, Mr. Dieng has authored many articles, briefs, and policy papers on human rights, democracy, good governance and rule of law. He has lectured on these subjects at different institutes and universities around the world, and acted as senior legal expert and consultant to several international organizations including OHCHR, UNHCR, UNESCO, UNITAR, the Ford Foundation, l’Agence Internationale de la Francophonie, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations Centre for Human Rights, the Organization of African Unity, the African Commission for Human and People’s Rights, the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (Canada), Council of Europe and the European Commission.

He has also served as AIF Expert on Legal and Judicial Cooperation, Expert on Conception, Implementation and Evaluation of Projects relating to the Rule of Law, Democracy and Human Rights; Training on Electoral Law; Legal Columnist and Editor of “Review”, a legal journal of the International Commission of Jurists. He was appointed as a member of the Editorial Group to assist the International Panel of Eminent Personalities, set up by the OAU to investigate the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda and Surrounding Events (IPEP).

Mr. Dieng is the Honorary Chair of the World Justice Forum, former founding member of the Board of Directors of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance IDEA; the Executive Board of Africa Leadership Forum; the Board of Directors of International Institute of Human Rights; former Vice-President of the Governing Council of the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies; the Advisory Council of International Service for Human Rights; the Advisory Council of International Human Rights Law; former and first President of the Martin Ennals Foundation and Founder of the Arusha-African Union-NEPAD Human Rights Trust Funds. He has also served as a member of the UNESCO international Advisory Committee on Poverty and Human Rights. For many years he was a member of Strategic Orientation Committee of the Development Institute of the University of Paris 1 – Sorbonne. He is also an Honorary Professor at the African Institute of Management.
He has received many honorific distinctions throughout the World including the Raça Negra Tropheu for his eminent contribution in the fight against racism and racial discrimination. In 2018, he was conferred the grade of Doctor honoris causa in Law by the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Currently he is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Review of the Red Cross, the Ethics Committee of the Foundation Rene Cassin, the UN Internal Justice Council and Special Adviser to the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi. Mr. Dieng continues to serve as the Special Advisor of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He is the Chair of the Honorary Committee of the International Association for the Defense of Religious Liberty (AIDLR) and member of the Ethics Committee of the Foundation René Cassin.