Secretary-General Appoints Alice Wairimu Nderitu of Kenya Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Alice Wairimu Nderitu of Kenya as Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. She succeeds Adama Dieng of Senegal, to whom the Secretary-General has expressed deep gratitude for his dedicated leadership and achievements. The Secretary-General also wishes to extend his appreciation to Navamanee Ratna (Pramila) Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, who has been serving as Acting Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.
Ms. Nderitu is a recognized voice in the field of peacebuilding and violence prevention, having led as mediator and senior adviser in reconciliation processes among communities in Kenya, as well as in other African settings. She served as Commissioner of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission in Kenya, from 2009 to 2013, as well as Founding Member and co-Chair of the Uwiano Platform for Peace, a prevention agency linking early warning to early response. She is also the founder of Community Voices for Peace and Pluralism, a network of African women professionals preventing, transforming and solving violent, ethnic, racial and religious conflicts worldwide.
Ms. Nderitu’s national experience includes her tenure as Director of the Education for Social Justice programme at Fahamu, from 2007 to 2009, and as Head of the Human Rights Education and Capacity-Building Programme for the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and its predecessor, the Standing Committee on Human Rights, from 1999 to 2007. Previously, she was Researcher and Administrator of the Kenya Prisons Service within the Ministry of Home Affairs, between 1992 and 1999. She is a member of the Kenya National Committee on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and All Forms of Discrimination, as well as the African Union Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation (Fem-Wise), and the Women Waging Peace Network.
Ms. Nderitu holds a master’s degree in armed conflict and peace studies (2013) and a Bachelor of Arts, Literature and Philosophy (1990) from the University of Nairobi. She is a Transitional Justice Fellow at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa. Widely published, she is the recipient of awards recognizing her commitment to peaceful conflict resolution throughout Africa and her innovative approach to mediation.