Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698140569933.pdf (South Africa)
AHMED C. MOTALA Curriculum Vitae Personal Details Name: Ahmed Cassim MOTALA Address: Tel.

No.
: Email: Sex & Gender: Male Date of birth: Marital Status: Nationality: South African – Admitted to practice as an Attorney since 1986 Summary Human rights activist and international human rights lawyer with more than 33 years’ experience in South Africa and internationally in planning and conducing human rights investigations, development of human rights investigations methodology and guidance, training of UN Human Rights staff, representatives of national human rights institutions and civil society actors in human rights investigations, and supervision and management of staff and projects.
Job Title From / To: Human Rights Officer 01 May 2021 / 28 February 2023 Name, email & tel.

no.

of Supervisor Ms Francesca Marotta Tel.


: Employment Name & Address of Employer Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Ave. G. Motta 48, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Description of Duties Conducted human rights investigations in different settings and countries, and provided advice and support to OHCHR staff, ad-hoc investigations and fact-finding missions on human rights investigation methodology.

Facilitated innovations and developed new digital tools for human rights investigations.
Developed training materials, and planned, organised and conducted training on monitoring, fact-finding and investigations for OHCHR staff and civil society organisations.

Supervised and supported staff responsible for the human rights case database and investigation technology development.

Engaged with information management experts and reviewed tools for information management for human rights investigations.

Developed and revised materials on human rights monitoring, fact-finding, and investigations.
Managed consultants in the development of guidance and training materials.

Planned, organised, and facilitated lessons learned exercises after OHCHR missions and human rights investigations.

Summary of Achievements: 1.

Conducted human rights investigations and provided advice and support to OHCHR staff and others on human rights investigations methodology.

2.
2.

Led innovations on investigations in OHCHR including through the development, review and testing of new and existing technological tools, in particular, for verification of digital images and information 1 management.

3.

Developed guidance on human rights monitoring and investigations, and planned, organised and conducted training for OHCHR / UN Peace Mission staff, national human rights institutions and civil society organisations.

4.
4.

Supported human rights investigations on investigative methodology, including through start-up workshops and training.

No.

& type of staff supervised: 2 professional staff, 2 consultants.

Name & Address of Employer Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Ave. G. Motta 48, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Job Title From / To: 09 November 2020 / 30 April 2021 Director (Acting), UN Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre, Doha, Qatar Name, email & tel.

no.
no.

of Supervisor Mr Francesco Motta Tel.

: Description of Duties Managed the UN Human Rights Training & Documentation Centre that covers 25 countries across North Africa and the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Developed strategic plans for 2021, engaged with partners including Government of Qatar and other governments in the region, the Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions, national human rights institutions in various countries in the region, civil society organisations in the Arab region and donors in implementation of the strategic plan and furtherance of the objectives of the Centre.
Under the direction of the OHCHR Deputy High Commissioner, engaged in consultations with Centre staff and partners in developing a new strategic vision of the Centre, and finalised the vision within four months.

The vision document included restructuring of the Centre with additional staff, strategic engagement with the different partners in the region including governments, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations and donors.
The proposals in the vision document were adopted by the senior leadership of OHCHR and implemented in August 2021.

Engaged with Government of Iran and Afghanistan National Human Rights Institution to explore opportunities for engagements with the Centre.

Summary of Achievements: 1.

Developed a new strategic vision for the Centre that was implemented by the OHCHR senior leadership.

2.

Resolved long-standing human resources issues.

3.


Reached out to Iran and Afghanistan for the first time to explore engagement with the Centre on human rights training and documentation.

No.

& type of staff supervised: 2 professional staff, 3 administrative staff, 4 consultants.

Job Title From / To: Human Rights Officer 01 April 2015 / 8 November 2020 Name, email & tel.

no.
no.

of Supervisor Ms Francesca Marotta Name & Address of Employer Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Ave. G. Motta 48, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland 2 Description of Duties Developed training materials, and planned, organised and conducted training on monitoring, fact-finding and investigations.

Facilitated innovations in human rights investigations and develop new investigative technological tools, e.g., digital image authentication.
Supervised and supported staff responsible for the human rights case database and development of the glossary.

Developed and revised materials on human rights monitoring, fact-finding and investigations.

Developed guidance for and provided support to international commissions of inquiry.

Managed consultants in the development of guidance and training materials.

Planned, organised and facilitated lessons learned exercises after OHCHR missions and commissions of inquiry.
Provided advice and support to field staff, ad-hoc investigations and fact-finding missions on human rights investigation methodology.

Summary of Achievements: 1.

Developed guidance on human rights monitoring and investigations, and plan, organise and conduct training for OHCHR / UN Peace Mission staff, national human rights institutions and civil society organisations.

2.
2.

Led innovations on investigations in OHCHR including through the development, review and testing of new and existing technological tools and explored new secure communication tools for remote human rights monitoring and investigations.

3.

Supported commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions on investigative methodology, analysis and reporting.

No.
No.

& type of staff supervised: 3 professional staff, 4 consultants (digital image authentication tool, innovations and technology and human rights), Coordinator of Human Rights Monitoring and Investigation team.

Name & Address of Employer Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Ave. G. Motta 48, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Description of Duties Job Title From / To: 1 July 2014 / 31 March 2015 Investigations Team Leader – OHCHR Investigations on Sri Lanka Name, email & tel.

no.
no.

of Supervisor Ms Sandra Beidas (retired) Refined methodology for information gathering and developed or adapted methodological tools.

Reviewed open-source information to identify leads and potential sources of information.

Established contacts with NGOs, academics and individuals who may act as sources of information or act as intermediaries.

Identified thematic priorities for investigation.

Developed, reviewed and refined investigation plans.
Identified locations to gather information including appropriate methodology for information collection.

Conducted interviews and collect materials.

Undertook verification and analysis of information.

Reviewed and used tech tools for communicating safely with victims and witnesses and for verification of information.

Drafted and reviewed sections of final report submitted to Human Rights Council (HRC).

Summary of Achievements: 1.


Developed an investigation plan and conducted investigations into human rights and international humanitarian law violations during the conflict in Sri Lanka without access to the country.

2.

Led a team of investigators, gathered and analysed information, and successfully completed investigations over a short period.

3.
3.

Contributed to drafting of a comprehensive report on the violations with recommendations to the United Nations Human Rights Council on measures to be taken by the Sri Lankan authorities.

No.

& type of staff supervised: 5 investigators and a consultant military adviser 3 Job Title From / To: Human Rights Officer 1 April 2012 / 30 June 2014 Name, email & tel.

no.

of Supervisor Ms Francesca Tel.


: Name & Address of Employer Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Ave. G. Motta 48, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Description of Duties Developed and revised materials on human rights monitoring, fact-finding and investigations.

Developed training materials, and plan, organised and conducted training on monitoring, fact-finding and investigations.
Contributed to conceptual development of human rights case database, testing of prototypes and review and testing of new version of database.

Supervised and support staff responsible for the human rights database and development of the glossary.

Managed consultants in the development of guidance and training materials.

Planned, organised and facilitated lessons learned exercises after OHCHR missions and commissions of inquiry.
Provided advice and support to field staff, ad-hoc investigations and fact-finding missions on human rights investigation methodology.

Coordinated new initiative on ICT for human rights, which brought information and communication technology innovation to human rights monitoring and investigations.

Summary of Achievements: 1.

Coordinated drafting of the Glossary on human rights violations.

2.
2.

Provided guidance and facilitated training for human rights investigators in OHCHR, national human rights institutions and regional human rights mechanisms.

3.

Organised OHCHR workshop on ICT for human rights, in conjunction with World Economic Forum, and facilitated by Frog Design.

No.
No.

& type of staff supervised: 1 professional staff, 3 consultants Name & Address of Employer Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Ave. G. Motta 48, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Job Title From / To: 1 September 2011 / 31 March 2012 Coordinator, Secretariat of the International Commission of Inquiry on Libya Name, email & tel.

no.
no.

of Supervisor Mr Hanny Megally (retired) 4 Description of Duties Established the Secretariat of the International Commission of Inquiry on Libya (Phase 2), including the recruitment of staff; provided briefings to new staff and finalised investigations guidance.

Prepared oral update to the HRC 18th Session, attended session and prepared oral responses to questions during the interactive dialogue.

Provided strategic advice and support to Commissioners.
Identified priority areas for investigations and developed investigations plans, outlined investigations methodology and reviewed database created for recording data.

Engaged with various parts of OHCHR including Finance, Human Resources, Travel, Middle East North Africa Section, Asia Pacific Middle East North Africa Branch Chief and UNOG conference services & HRMS to facilitate work of COI.

Liaised with Government of Libya, diplomatic missions in Geneva and UN Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
Planned and undertook three missions to Libya, which included arranging the assistance of security, interpretation and logistics & supervised the work of staff during the missions and coordinated the visits of Commissioners during two missions.

Investigated key human rights incidents, communicated with Libyan Government officials and attended meetings with Commissioners.

Provided regular briefings on the work of the investigation to senior OHCHR personnel, including the High Commissioner.
Contributed to analysis of information and the writing of the final report to the UN Human Rights Council.

Planned and facilitated an internal after mission review within the Secretariat.

In essence, undertook overall coordination of the Secretariat, including supervision of staff, administrative tasks, liaison and engagement with other entities, and planning and conducting investigations Summary of Achievements: 1.
Successfully completed three investigative missions to Libya, which included interviews with witnesses, government officials, representatives of international NGOs and civil society, and visits to sites of violations, and meetings with Government officials and others.

2.

Supervised and guided a team of professional staff who gathered and analysed information that resulted in the production of a report of more than 200 pages for the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2012.

3.
3.

Worked under extremely challenging conditions, with very tight deadlines, and produced high quality work.

No.

& type of staff supervised: 14 professionals (investigators, legal adviser, military adviser, analyst), 2 administrative staff & 1 consultant.

Job Title From / To: Name, email & tel.

no.

of Supervisor Human Rights Officer 30 August 2007 / 31 August 2011 Ms Francesca Marotta fm Tel.
: Name & Address of Employer Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Ave. G. Motta 48, Geneva, Switzerland Description of Duties Developed and revised guidance materials on human rights monitoring, fact-finding and investigations.

Developed training materials and planned, organised and conducted training on human rights monitoring fact-finding and investigations.
Supported the development of the human rights database, managed the development of a glossary on human rights violations and conducted training of use of the database.

Developed guidance and supported the work of international commissions of inquiry.

Supervised and supported staff responsible for the database and the development of the glossary.

Planned, organised and facilitated after mission reviews.
Provided advice and support to field staff and ad-hoc investigations on monitoring and fact-finding methodology.

5 Summary of Achievements: 1.

Conducted numerous trainings on monitoring, fact-finding and investigations for OHCHR and peacemission staff, national human rights institutions and NGOs.

2.

Coordinated the drafting of a Manual on Human Rights Investigations and drafted 7 of the 18 chapters of the Manual.

3.
3.

Coordinated the development of training materials and designed the training on human rights investigations.

4.

Acted as officer in charge of the section for a continuous period of three and half months during the absence of the Section Chief on another assignment during 2010.

No.

& type of staff supervised: 1 professional staff Job Title Executive Director From / To: 01 June 2005 / 15 August 2007 Name, email & tel.

no.

of Supervisor Mr Tefo Raditapole traditapole Tel.


: Name & Address of Employer Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation 4th Floor, Braamfontein Centre Jorissen Street Johannesburg South Africa Description of Duties Day-to-day executive management of the organization, including supervision of middle managers (heads of departments).

Provided strategic direction to the organisation, including coordinating strategic planning.
Undertook fund-raising and ensured proper financial planning and ensured sound accounting practices.

Regularly accounted to Board of Directors and sought advice and approval for major organizational decisions.

Developed and implemented organizational policies.

Advised Government departments on policies.

Contributed to media work and other engagements to increase profile of the organization.

Engaged with donors, raised funds and accounted for use of funds.

Summary of Achievements: 1.


Developed new decision-making structures that ensured staff participation in decisions that increased a sense of ownership.

2.

Introduced a process of regular strategic planning.

3.

Collaborated with the South African Human Rights Commission and developed joint projects.

4.

Successfully managed organizational transformation by increasing the diversity of senior staff and Board members.

No.
No.

& type of staff supervised: 8 senior professionals (heads of departments) & 1 administrative staff Job Title Executive Director From / To: 01 July 2002 / 31 May 2005 Name, email & tel.

no.

of Supervisor Judge Richard Goldstone Tel.

: Name & Address of Employer Human Rights Institute of South Africa Elephant House, 105 Market street, Johannesburg South Africa 6 Description of Duties Responsible for overall management of organization and administrative head.

Coordinated and developed strategic plan.


Planned and supervised projects.

Developed fund-raising strategy, raised funds and ensured financial viability of organization.

Managed finances of the organization and regularly reported to the Board and donors.

Undertook advocacy on key human rights issues and represented the organization in the media and at meetings of inter-governmental organizations.

Summary of Achievements: 1.


Developed and implemented strategic planning and ensured financial viability of the organization through robust cost cutting and fund-raising.

2.

Initiated new programmes and partnerships and increased the profile of the organization in the region and throughout the continent.

3.

Contributed to the 10-year review of the SA Human Rights Commission.

No.
No.

& type of staff supervised: 8 Professional & 2 Administrative staff Name & Address of Employer Save the Children UK 1 St John's Lane London Middlesex EC1M 4AR United Kingdom Description of Duties Job Title From / To: Human Rights Officer 18 September 2000 / 30 June 2002 Name, email & tel.

no.

of Supervisor Mr Bill Bell Tel.

: Developed internal policies and external position papers incorporating child rights, in particular a rightsbased approach to development.
Reviewed legislation affecting and pertaining to children in different countries.

Lead the organization's advocacy work at the UN, in particular at the CRC.

Prepared and implemented the strategy on advocacy at the African Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Assisted country programmes in the development of advocacy strategies.

Planned and facilitated training on child rights.

Participated in preparations for humanitarian emergencies.

Represented the organization in meetings and conferences.
Summary of Achievements: 1.

Developed a policy for field staff on monitoring human rights.

2.

Developed and implemented the organization's strategy for advocacy at African intergovernmental bodies.

3.

Increased advocacy on child rights issues at international bodies including the UN Commission on Human Rights (now Human Rights Council) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

No.
No.

& type of staff supervised: 1 peer Name & Address of Employer Amnesty International 1 Easton Street London Middlesex WC1X 0DW United Kingdom Job Title From / To: Legal Adviser - Africa 01 October 1995 / 15 September 2000 Name, email & tel.

no.

of Supervisor Mr Martin Macpherson Tel.

: 7 Description of Duties Provided advice to researchers in the Africa and Middle East Programs on international law and political strategy, and strategy for lobbying IGOs.
Developed and implemented strategy on lobbying African IGOs.

Assisted with management responsibilities.

Established relations with African and other international NGOs.

Provided advice on arbitrary detention and fair trial issues to researcher covering countries throughout the world.

Monitored the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Prepared and filed complaints on human rights violations with mechanisms of IGOs.
Developed and implemented Amnesty's strategy on the rights of the child.

Summary of Achievements: 1.

Developed Amnesty International's work at African intergovernmental organisations, in particular at the African Union and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

2.

Drafted and published Amnesty International reports on African IGOs and on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

No.
No.

& type of staff supervised: 1 Peer Job Title National Director - Litigations From / To: 01 January 1993 / 30 September 1995 Name, email & tel.

no.

of Supervisor Mr Brian Currin Tel.

: Name & Address of Employer Lawyers for Human Rights Kutlwanong Democracy Centre 357 Visagie Street Pretoria South Africa Description of Duties Assisted in administration and management of organization as part of senior management team.

Administered litigation fund, including processing of funding applications.
Planned and participated in strategic human rights litigation on human rights issues, including a constitutional challenge to the death penalty.

Prepared funding proposals and raised funds.

Drafted and presented commentaries on draft constitution.

Conducted advocacy with authorities for legislative and policy changes.

Facilitated training courses and seminars.

Acted as spokesperson, conducted media interviews, and participated in televised debates.
Wrote public reports, media articles and opinion pieces.

Developed and implemented the strategy of the organization on working with IGOs.

Summary of Achievements: 1.

Developed a pro-bono legal scheme in which more than 200 lawyers participated in human rights cases.

2.

Established a litigation trust fund to assist litigants in human rights cases.

3.

Drafted internal policies of the organization including staff policies.

4.

Contributed to drafting of the interim constitution of South Africa.

No.
No.

& type of staff supervised: 20 lawyers (in offices throughout the country) & 1 Administrative staff Name & Address of Employer Lawyers for Human Rights Zambesi House von Weilligh Street Johannesburg South Africa Job Title Regional Director From / To: 01 September-1989 / 31 December 1992 Name, email & tel.

no.

of Supervisor Mr Brian Currin Tel.

: 8 Description of Duties Established regional office and set up administrative and management procedures.
Managed office, including personnel and financial management.

Supervised up to 8 staff.

Investigated serious human rights violations by security forces and other government agents.

Interviewed victims and instituted legal proceedings.

Represented victims in court proceedings and other judicial enquiries.

Coordinated human rights monitoring and reporting with other NGOs.

Conducted media interviews and represented the organization in public forums.

Summary of Achievements: 1.


Established a management and reporting system at new Johannesburg office.

2.

3.

Initiated and developed a law clinic to assist victims of human rights violations.

Investigated serious human rights violations by apartheid security forces, represented former police officers Butana Almond Nofemela, Dirk Coetzee and David Tshikalange & presented evidence to the judicial commission of inquiry led by Judge Louis Harms.

No.
& type of staff supervised: 6 professional and 2 administrative staff Education Name of Institution City, Country From/To: Degree Obtained: American University Washington, D.C./ United States 01-Aug-2006 / 31Jul- 2007 Master of Laws (LLM) University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg/ South Africa 01-Feb-1982 / 30- Nov-1983 Bachelor of Laws (LLB) University of KwaZulu-Natal (formerly University of DurbanWestville) Durban/ South Africa 01-Feb-1978 / 30Nov-1981 Bachelor of Arts in Law Languages Language English French Arabic Read Speak Write Understand Fully proficient Fully proficient Fully proficient Fully proficient Intermediary skills Intermediary skills Intermediary skills Intermediary skills Beginner skills Beginner skills Beginner skills Beginner skills Afrikaans Fully proficient Fully proficient Fully proficient Fully proficient Publications The African Union & its Institutions, John Akokpari, J, Angela Ndinga-Muvumba, A & Tim Murithi T (Eds) – Chapter on The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights Centre for Conflict Resolution, Cape Town May 2008 Reflections on Democracy and Human Rights - Chapter: Freedom of Expression The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights: The System at Work, Evans, MD & Murray, RH (Eds.)
– Chapter on Role of Non-governmental organizations South African Human Rights Commission July 2006 Cambridge University Press May 2002 Title of Publication Publisher Date published The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (2nd ed.

), Evans, MD & Murray, RH (Eds.)


– Chapter on Creation of a Court of Human Rights Cambridge University Press June 2008 9 Referees Name Email Mr Ibrahima Kane AU Advocacy Director Open Society Dakar, Senegal Mr Christian Stéphane Mikala Deputy Head of Human Rights Division UN Mission in South Sudan Juba, South Sudan 10