Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
Germany
fellow
Nneka Adaora Okechukwu
Home institution
Independent Researcher
Discipline(s)
Law
Theme(s)
Human Rights
Peace & conflict
Public Policies
Fellowship dates
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Biography
Dr. Nneka Okechukwu is an independent consultant working on the intersections of international law and policy, particularly in the areas of the rule of law and peacebuilding. Previously, she worked as a senior policy officer and later Head of the inclusive governance and accountability team at the European Centre for Development Policy Management. Nneka has also worked with the Africa projects of the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law and as a senior research fellow and country manager of the South Sudan projects and also at Saferworld UK and OHCHR. Nneka is a qualified lawyer and holds a master’s in public international law degree from Queen Mary, University of London and a PhD from the University of Hull.
Research Project
The Legal Implications of Geopolitical Splintering on Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Socio-Political Rights Frameworks in Africa
Sustainable development in Africa is being increasingly challenged by a number of factors, including: rapid demographic growth and its attendant massive urbanisation; the effects of climate change; rising poverty and inequality; low resilience to natural disasters; the effects of the global pandemic and financial crises. While the effects of all these are indisputable, this project aims to analyse the implications of geopolitical fractures on sustainable development from a legal perspective. The aim of this study is to determine what legal implications arise for sustainable development as a result of recent geopolitical fractures, with a particular focus on the socio-political rights frameworks in Africa. The project shall thus aim to answer the research question: “how does geopolitical fragmentation impact on the enforcement of socio-political rights within sustainable development frameworks in Africa?” In exploring this primary research question, two secondary questions will also be of relevance: “What are the legal challenges of maintaining legal regional human rights and governance commitments amidst rising political and economic fragmentation?” and “How can African frameworks adapt to address these challenges?”
Research Interests:
Public international law; Human rights; Politics