Italian international lawyer Francesca Albanese is full of energy and ready to carry out the mandate she was recently tasked with. Albanese said that the position of special rapporteur for the Palestinians, which she was elected to for a six-year term in February, is dedicated to an independent expert. While many similar UN positions are based on thematic areas, this position has a clear geographic mandate. “The UN Human Rights Council has mandated me to investigate and report on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories — that means the West Bank, including east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip,” she told Al-Monitor via Zoom from Tunis where she is residing.

The Italian lawyer and researcher, the first woman to occupy the UN position, says she believes in the importance of academic rigor and will certainly carry out her assignment with integrity.

An expert in international law who deals with human rights issues, Albanese is also the first person currently working for a well-respected Arab nongovernmental organization to be tasked with this mandate.

Albanese worked for 10 years with the United Nations, including with the UNRWA, before moving to academia. She is proud to be currently working with the Amman-based Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD).