Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean lawyer Thompson Chengeta has been appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres to his 15-member Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (ABDM).
ABDM was established in 1978 and its functions include advising the Secretary-General on matters within the area of arms limitation and disarmament, including on studies and research under the auspices of the United Nations or institutions within the United Nations system.
Chengeta’s appointment was confirmed in a letter dated 07 December 2023, addressed to the Zimbabwean by Guterres. He wrote:
I have the honour to invite you to become a member of my Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, as of January 2024.
Your experience and knowledge will enhance the work of the Board, both in its advisory capacity on disarmament issues and in its role as the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
A description of the functions of the Advisory Board and its role as the Board of Trustees of UNIDIR is contained in the annex to this letter.
The next session of the Board will take place from 30 January to 2 February 2024 in Geneva. I do hope that you will be able to accept this invitation.
Posting on social media site X (formerly Twitter), Chengeta welcomed the appointment to the ABDM, describing it as an honour. He wrote:
Your Excellency, Mr @antonioguterres, I sincerely appreciate this honour and eagerly anticipate the opportunity to contribute in this capacity.
As one whose life began in the rural areas of Shurugwi in Zimbabwe, in the villages of Nhema, Hwinya, Chachacha etc., where my little cracked-bare feet more fully followed the flock than they tracked to far away schools, this appointment is an honour and truly appreciated.
Chengeta studied law at Harvard Law School, the University of Pretoria (UP) and Midlands State University (MSU).
He is a Fellow at the South African Research Chair in International Law, University of Johannesburg (UJ), an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at MSU and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Institute of International and Comparative Law in Africa, UP.
Previously, Chengeta has worked on the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings and has experience with the OHCHR and the International Criminal Court.
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