Clément Voule

Clément Voule

Researcher

Areas of expertise

Business and Human Rights  /  Transitional Justice  /  Protection of Human Rights Defenders  /  Freedom of Association and Peaceful Assembly

Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, a Togolese national, is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association. He is also Researcher at the Geneva Academy and Senior Advisor at the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

Prior to his appointment as Special Rapporteur, he led ISHR’s work to support human rights defenders in states in transition and coordinated the organization’s work in Africa as African Advocacy Director.  In this position, he supported civil society and state efforts to develop and adopt specific laws for the protection of human right defenders in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Mali.

Since 2011, Clement is an Expert Member of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights’ working group on extractive industries, environment and human rights violations in Africa. He is a founding member and Vice-Chair of the West African Human Rights Defenders Network. At the African Commission, he has coordinated and participated in the elaboration of several studies and guidelines, including the study on freedom of association in Africa, the study on the situation of women human rights defenders in Africa, the guidelines on freedom of association and assembly in Africa. He also contributed to several publications including the model law for the recognition and protection of human rights defenders, and a human rights defenders guide to the African Commission.

Before Joining ISHR in 2006, Clement worked as Secretary-General of the Togolese Coalition of Human Rights Defenders and was a campaigner for the Togolese Coalition for the International Criminal Court. He has also been Secretary-General of the Amnesty International section in Togo. A longtime activist and jurist, he has a degree on Fundamental Rights from Nantes University and a Masters of Advanced Studies in International Law in Armed Conflict from the Geneva Academy (joint degree from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, University of Geneva).

Research Projects

George Floyd protest in Washington D.C. Project

Promoting and Protecting the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association and Civic Space Worldwide

This project aims at providing support to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Clément Voulé by addressing emerging issues affecting civic space and eveloping tools and materials allowing various stakeholders to promote and defend civic space.

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