Makau Mutua

Makau Mutua "is Professor of Law and Director of the Human Rights Center at The State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law where he teaches international human rights, international business transactions, and international law. Professor Mutua has been a Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School, the University of Iowa College of Law, and the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. He is also co-director of the Program on International and Comparative Legal Studies of the UB Baldy Center for Law & Social Policy.

"He was educated at the University of Nairobi, the University of Dar-es-Salaam, and at Harvard Law School, where he obtained a Doctorate of Juridical Science in 1987. Professor Mutua was Co-Chair of the 2000 Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law.

"Professor Mutua is the author of Human Rights: A Political and Cultural Critique (2002). He has written numerous scholarly articles exploring topical subjects in international law, human rights, and religion. These include "The Ideology of Human Rights," "Hope and Despair for a New South Africa: the Limits of Rights Discourse," "The Banjul Charter and the African Cultural Fingerprint: an Evaluation of the Language of Duties," and "Why Redraw the Map of Africa: a Moral and Legal Inquiry". He has written human rights reports for the United Nations and leading NGOs. He has authored dozens of articles for popular publications such as the New York Times and the Washington Post.

"Previously, Professor Mutua was the Associate Director at the Harvard Law School Human Rights Program. He was also the Director of the Africa Project at the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. He serves as the Chairman of the Kenya Human Rights Commission and sits on the boards of several international organizations and academic journals.

"He has conducted numerous human rights, diplomatic, and rule of law missions to countries in Africa, Latin America, and Europe. He has spoken at public fora in many parts of the world, including Japan, Brazil, France, and Ethiopia." 


 * Director, Global Rights
 * Executive Council, American Society of International Law