Session Description

In 2024, Angela was named one of the world's Top 30 Gender Equality Activists by CNN's As Equals. She is a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer and executive leader with over 17 years of domestic and international experience advancing human rights, accountability and victim/survivor-centred justice. She has used her legal expertise to challenge impunity, expand access to justice and drive meaningful systems change. Her work sits at the intersection of international criminal law, human rights and gender justice, with a particular focus on strategic litigation, advocacy and capacity building through an intersectional lens. She has investigated human rights violations, brought precedent-setting cases before domestic and international courts, and led strategic interventions to expand access to justice for women and girls in remote communities across sub-Saharan Africa including running legal clinics with local partners that reached thousands of women. She is deeply committed to equality, justice and accountability, and to ensuring that the law is used innovatively and in ways that respond to the needs of affected communities. Her experience includes being a legal director at the Clooney Foundation for Justice, working for the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court; the Southern Africa Litigation Centre; the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, and Open Society Foundations. Recognising the power of knowledge-sharing and collective learning, Angela is equally committed to ensuring that hard-won experience is passed on to others. Through mentoring, guest lectures, capacity building and publications, she has supported affected communities, students, activists and fellow lawyers to access the knowledge and tools they need to make a positive impact and advance justice. Writing is one of Angela's favourite activities. Her work has been published in newspapers, international criminal law books and academic journals. She has also served on editorial committees, including Opinio Juris and the Oxford Journal of International Criminal Justice. Public speaking is also close to Angela's heart and she has appeared on many stages including TedX in the United States of America. Angela has a Master of Laws (LL.M) in International Criminal Law, Transitional Justice and International Crime Prevention and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B).