Executive Board

Reine Alapini-Gansou (Benin) - Board Member

Prior to joining the ICC in 2018, Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou spent 12 years at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), as Chair of the Commission (2009-2012), and as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders in Africa (2005- 2009 and 2012 -2017).

She has been a member of several United Nations commissions of inquiries on human rights violations, and chaired the joint working group on special procedures of the United Nations and the African Commission on human and people's rights. In 2011, she was appointed as judge at the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Author or co-author of several publications, she has been a professor at the University of Abomey - Calavi, in Benin. She holds a joint post-graduate degree (DEA) from the Universities of Maastricht (Netherlands), Lomé (Togo) and Bhutan as well as a university degree in Common Law from the University of Lyon 3 (France). She also obtained a Master's Degree in Business Law and Judicial Careers from the National University of Benin.

She has also obtained several diplomas in the area of international human rights law (1993-2002) at the African Institute of Human Rights in Banjul, René Cassin Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France; and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) in Rome.

Judge Alapini-Gansou was admitted to the Benin Bar in 1986. She worked for the Association Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) Belgium on the project "Justice for all in Rwanda" in 2001. She is also member of the International Criminal Bar.

Gaynel Curry (Bahamas) - Board Member

Gaynel Curry is the Vice-Chair and an Expert Member of the United Nations (UN) Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. In this capacity she works to advance the human rights, lives and livelihoods of communities of African descent worldwide, especially women and girls. 

Ms. Curry has a rich background having worked with the UN for 24 years, serving in various leadership and other capacities in Geneva, New York, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Timor-Leste. Most recently, she served as Human Rights Advisor in the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva. There she led work on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development regularly engaging the Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. She worked to support Member States in adopting a human rights-based approach in the preparation of their Voluntary National Reviews for the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

Ms. Curry is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of The Bahamas, lecturing and undertaking research in public international law, human rights law, and environmental law. She enjoys sharing her wealth of knowledge and experiences with the next generation of Caribbean legal professionals. Previously, Ms Curry served as the founding Director of The Bahamas Department of Gender and Family Affairs, and held other senior level positions including in the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Ms Curry holds a Master’s Degree in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom; a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from the American University in Washington, DC; a Degree in Law (LLB) from the University of London; a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Social Sciences from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica; and an Advanced Diploma in Public Policy from the College/ University of The Bahamas. 

With her blend of experience, passion, and academic rigor, Gaynel Curry remains a driving force in the pursuit of equality, human rights and justice for all.

Fernanda Lapa (Brazil) – Board Member

Fernanda Lapa is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Development and Human Rights - IDDH (@iddh.educar), a NGO with ECOSOC consultative status, established in 2004. 

The Institute’s core mission is to promote human rights education across Latin America, with a particular emphasis on strengthening civic spaces through capacity-building on United Nations human rights mechanisms. Ms. Lapa has been actively engaged with the UPR process since its inception in 2006, playing a central role in coordinating national and regional UPR coalitions in Brazil and Latin America. She has authored some articles on the UPR and human rights education, including the recent publication: "UPR: A Practical Guide for Civil Society to Build National Coalitions" .

A lawyer by profession, Fernanda holds a Master’s degree in Law and a PhD in Education. She is also a Professor of Human Rights and currently holds the UNESCO Chair on Citizenship Education and Human Rights in Brazil. In recent years, she has been developing research and providing consulting services to government bodies and National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), offering expert advice on the design and implementation of National Mechanisms for the Monitoring of International Obligations (NMIRFs/SIMOREs), with a specific focus on transparency, access to information, and civil society participation.

Vitit Muntarbhorn (Thailand) - Board Member

Vitit Muntarbhorn is a Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. He holds degrees from Oxford University (M.A., B.C.L.) and the Université Libre de Bruxelles, and is a Barrister at Law (Middle Temple, London). He has taught international law and human rights in various countries, including the UK, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and France.

He has held several key pro bono roles with the United Nations, including as the first UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography; the first Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the DPRK; and the first Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. He chaired the UN Commission of Inquiry on Côte d’Ivoire and served on the Commission of Inquiry on Syria. Since 2021, he has served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Cambodia.

Professor Muntarbhorn has worked with various UN agencies such as UNESCO, UNDP, OHCHR, UNICEF, UNHCR, and ILO. He has published extensively on international law and human rights, and his recent books include The Status of Refugees in Asia and Unity in Connectivity: Evolving Human Rights Mechanisms in the ASEAN Region. He received the UNESCO Human Rights Education Prize in 2004 and was awarded a Knighthood (KBE) in 2018 for his international human rights work.

Patrick Wall (Australia) – Treasurer

Based in Geneva, Patrick is an independent consultant working at the intersection of international affairs and international law. His practice covers a wide range of issues, ranging from human rights and refugee protection to anticorruption and diplomatic strategy. 

Patrick holds master’s degrees in international law (from the Geneva Graduate Institute) and diplomacy (from the Australian National University).