Zainab Hawa Bangura Closed Now

Zainab Hawa Bangura (born 1959) is a Sierra Leonean politician, activist, and diplomat who has dedicated her career to advancing human rights, women’s empowerment, and transitional justice in post-conflict settings. She is best known for serving as the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (2012–2017), where she became one of the most prominent global voices addressing sexual violence as a weapon of war and ensuring justice for survivors.

Bangura’s career began in civil society, where she founded organizations advocating for democracy and women’s rights in Sierra Leone. During the country’s brutal civil war (1991–2002), she emerged as a fearless critic of corruption, impunity, and gender-based violence. Her advocacy directly linked peacebuilding with transitional justice, stressing that reconciliation is impossible without addressing crimes of sexual violence.

She later entered public service, becoming Minister of Health and Sanitation (2007–2010) and later Minister of Foreign Affairs (2010–2012) of Sierra Leone. In these roles, she advanced policies that linked health, governance, and accountability, strengthening her reputation as a reformer committed to justice.

As UN Special Representative, Bangura traveled to conflict zones worldwide—including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Syria, and Bosnia—documenting cases of sexual violence and advocating for survivor-centered justice. She worked to integrate transitional justice frameworks into peace negotiations, truth commissions, and reparations programs, emphasizing that survivors must not be silenced or marginalized in post-conflict societies.

Her leadership contributed to the development of international norms recognizing sexual violence as a crime against humanity and war crime, reinforcing its place within transitional justice mechanisms. She collaborated with governments, civil society, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to push for accountability and survivor support.

In 2019, Bangura was appointed Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), where she continues to champion issues of governance, justice, and gender equality.

Zainab Hawa Bangura’s career demonstrates that transitional justice is not only about addressing political violence but also about confronting gender-based crimes and ensuring that survivors are at the center of rebuilding just and inclusive societies