Prof Chris Maina Peter voted UN's ILC member

From ASSAH MWAMBENE in New York

A Tanzanian distinguished Professor Chris Maina Peter (pictured) was yesterday voted Member of the United Nations’ International Law Commission   (ILC) by the 66th UN General Assembly.

Announcing the results here yesterday, the President of the 66th  United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser said Prof Peter is among the 34 members voted in the commission out of 49 candidates who had vied for the seats.A former Kenyan Attorney General, Amos Wako has also been voted member of the Commission

Prof Chris Maina Peter, who is currently a Professor of Law at the University of Dar es salaam, was among13 contestants from the African continent who were vying for the nine slots reserved for the African countries in the UN's legal body.

Prof Peter who is currently in Ethiopia for official engagement said " I am delighted for the honor and more so to my government for seconding my candidacy and a spirited campaign."

Other countries that  fielded candidates from Africa South Africa, Kenya, Sudan, Libya, Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Mali and  Cote d'Ivoire.

Prof Peter will serve in the Commission for the period of five years effective January next year.

Prof Chris Maina Peter was born on 14th April 1954 and holds a Ph D in Law from the University of Konstanz in Germany.

He once served as a Member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of the Racial Discrimination (CERD), United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland.

Prof. Peter has also published widely in the area of Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, Public International Law and Good Government.