By: Aminata Kamara
Sierra Leone’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Samuel U.B. Saffa, has been elected Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Intergovernmental Working Group on Education Rights.
The group, established under Human Rights Council Resolution 56/5, is responsible for drafting a new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The protocol is intended to strengthen the right to education, covering areas from early childhood care to free pre-primary and secondary schooling.
Ambassador Saffa’s election was supported by Luxembourg, Colombia, Gambia, and Sierra Leone. In his acceptance remarks, he linked the appointment to Sierra Leone’s domestic education reforms, particularly President Julius Maada Bio’s Free Quality School Education initiative.
A barrister and solicitor of Sierra Leone’s Superior Court of Judicature, Saffa has more than 25 years of legal and diplomatic experience. He is known for his work on human rights and education advocacy.
The Working Group’s task is expected to reaffirm education as a universal right and address barriers preventing millions of children worldwide from accessing school.
