Doctor Joana de Deus Pereira, a Senior Research Fellow at RUSI, has been appointed as Independent Mandate Holder to the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the rights of peoples to self-determination.
The Working Group monitors mercenaries and mercenary-related activities, undertakes country visits to examine the impact of mercenaries, and submits annual thematic reports to major UN bodies including the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.
The Mandate is an independent, honorary position, with Joana’s appointment adopted at the 38th Meeting of the 56th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council. Joana is the first Portuguese national to hold the mandate and will continue her work for RUSI Europe as a Senior Research Fellow in the Terrorism and Conflict research group. This work includes EU projects related to preventing and countering violent extremism.
Speaking about her appointment, Dr Pereira said:
I am deeply honored to be nominated. I began researching the phenomenon of private military and security companies in 2007, during my PhD and consolidated my work when I won the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship in 2018, examining the links between the externalisation of migration and the use of private contractors.
She continued:
It is a great honour to be chosen to contribute. This role is the culmination of years of research in this field, and I am committed to responding to the challenges and objectives of the group. I am excited to work alongside some highly esteemed colleagues and continue the incredible work initiated by previous mandate holders.
Dr Joana de Deus Pereira
Senior Research Fellow