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MALAWI HIGH COURT JUDGE JUSTICE RACHEL SIKWESE APPOINTED JUDGE FOR THE UNITED NATIONS DISPUTE TRIBUNAL

Date: 
Friday, 11 October 2019

The United Nations Dispute Tribunal(UNDT) welcomed four new judges to serve on the internal justice system which was
created by the United Nations General Assembly. Operational since 2009, the UNDT serves as the court where the UN system staff members apply to when challenging nadministrative decision made by an entity over which the court has jurisdiction

Elected by a secret ballot, the appointments of the new judges took effect on July 10,2019, Sworn in by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on-------, the new judges include two Caribbean nationals in Justice Francis Belle of Barbados and Justice Eleanor Donaldson-Honeywell of Trinidad and Tobago, and two African nationals in Justice Margaret Tibulya of Uganda and Malawi High Court Judge Justice Rachel Sikwese, Justice Rachel Sikwese will serve as a half time circuit judge for seven years for the UNDT dealing with labor cases among United Nations employees and member countries. 

Born on February 9, 1970 Justice Rachel Sikwese made the cut from a pool of about 325 applicants across the word, at 49 years old she will be the youngest to ever sit at the tribunal, before this appoitment Justice Rachel Sikwese has served in various judicial capacities in Malawi for 21 years, from the magistracy, registrar, chairperson of the Industrial Relations Court and currently Judge of the High Court specializing in commercial law. She is the Deputy Chairperson on the special Law Commission on the Review of the Supreme Court of Appeal Act. an Expert Contributor to the World Bank Group (Women, Business and the Law), UN Sustainable Development Goals- Goal 16, World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2017-2018 report and ILO Bureau for Gender Equality. She served as Temporary Advisor to the World Health Organization (Social Determinants of
Health). She holds a Master of Laws Degree from Indiana- Bloomington, USA.