Iftiaal Al Adawi (2016-2017)

Mrs. Iftiaal Al Adawi, from the Sultanate of Oman, is a Legal Researcher at the Ministry of Legal Affairs in Muscat, Oman. Her responsibilities include: reviewing conventions and treaties;  alternative dispute resolution, including construction arbitrations; drafting and reviewing government contracts and pre-tender documents;  standardisation of contracts for the Ministries of Health, Education, and Housing; and researching and drafting legal opinions.

Mrs. Al Adawi has an LL.M. in International and Comparative Commercial Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, including an intercollegiate course on World Trade Law and Trade Linkages in the WTO at UCL, as well as an LL.B. from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom.

Kuenzang Dorji (2016-2017)

Mr. Kuenzang Dorji, from Bhutan, is a Legal Officer for Department of Trade under Ministry of Economic Affairs, where he advises on trade policy, negotiation and implementation of bilateral and regional agreement to which Bhutan is party and on dispute settlement.  Mr. Dorji holds a Postgraduate Diploma in National Law from Royal Institute of Management in Bhutan and has LL.B. (Hons.) degree from NALSAR University of Law, Andra Pradesh, India.  He also holds various certificates in the area of trade and international trade training organized by WTO and other training institutions such as UNESCAP and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade , New Delhi, India.

Dennis Muhambe (2016-2017)

Dennis Muhambe is a Foreign Service Officer and a lawyer with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kenya. In this position, he provides legal advice to the Ministry on foreign policy, trade policy, international law, negotiations, and the drafting and implementation of bilateral and multilateral agreements. He was involved in the drafting of Kenya’s Trade Remedies Bill, which provides for the establishment of the Kenyan Trade Remedies Agency.  The Bill is currently pending in Parliament.

Mr. Muhambe holds an LL.M. in International Business and Economic Law from Georgetown University Law Centre in Washington DC, a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies from the Kenya School of Law, and an LL.B. from Moi University in Kenya. In 2010 – 2011, he participated in the Fellows Program of the Institute of International Economic Law of Georgetown University Law Centre.  He has also benefited from short term training courses on trade policy, multilateral negotiations, and intellectual property conducted by the WTO, UN, and WIPO respectively.

Hernán Muñoz Pérez (2016-2017)

Mr. Hernán G. Muñoz Pérez, from Paraguay, is a lawyer in the Department of Multilateral Economic Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  His responsibilities include reviewing the economical and multilateral aspects of issues related to Paraguay’s status as a landlocked developing country.  He is also involved in coordinating between capital and Paraguay’s WTO Mission on some WTO disciplines, especially the Trade Facilitation Agreement negotiations and implementation process, as well as Dispute Settlement procedures and negotiations.  Mr. Muñoz Pérez assisted as a member of the legal team that represents Paraguay in WTO disputes in which Paraguay participates as a third party. Mr Muñoz Pérez has a law degree from the Universidad Nacional de Asunción in Paraguay. He also holds a degree as a Notary Public from the Universidad Autónoma de Asunción.

Karyn Aneno (2015-2016)

Ms Karyn Sandra Aneno, from Uganda, is a Senior Legal Officer in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives of Uganda, where she provides legal advice on trade policy, negotiation and implementation of international agreements and treaties, and on dispute settlement. She was very involved in the negotiations on “Economic Partnership Agreements” (EPAs) between the European Union and the EAC countries, from 2011 to date, and in the ongoing COMESA-EAC–SADC Tripartite FTA negotiations (leading the trade remedy and dispute settlement chapters). Ms Aneno holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre in Uganda and an LL.B. (Hons.) degree from Makerere University, Uganda.  She also holds various certificates in the area of trade and international trade negotiations from the WTO, TRAPCA, and other training institutions.

Maria Base (2015-2016)

Ms Maria Graciela D. Base, from the Philippines, is an Associate Solicitor at the Office of the Solicitor General of the Philippines, which represents the Philippine Government before domestic courts and international tribunals. Ms Base is part of a Task Force at the Office of the Solicitor General that assists the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the WTO in dispute settlement proceedings in which the Philippines is involved.  Ms Base holds a law degree from the University of the Philippines. She placed fifth in the 2012 Philippine Bar examinations.

Laichea Chea (2015-2016)

Mr. Chea Laichea, from Cambodia, is a Deputy Chief of the WTO Affairs Office of the Department of Notifications and Legal Compliance of Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce. His responsibilities include reviewing existing laws or regulations, participating in the drafting review process of Cambodian laws and regulations to ensure compliance with WTO obligations, coordinating with Cambodian inter-ministry groups to work on Cambodia’s trade policy reviews, and assisting in assembling government teams to participate in international trade negotiations. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Economics from the National University of Management in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and a Master of Laws in International Economic and Business Law from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan.

Ana Garcés (2015-2016)

Ms Ana María Garcés Escobar, from Colombia, is a lawyer at the International Legal Affairs Bureau of the Colombian Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism. The International Legal Affairs Bureau represents Colombia in all international trade matters, including the defense of Colombia’s interests in international dispute settlement proceedings.   Ms Garcés Escobar was a member of the legal team representing Colombia in its ongoing WTO disputes, both as a party and as a third party.  Her responsibilities included drafting Colombia’s submissions and assisting with evidence gathering and analysis, as well as providing the Ministry with legal advice regarding international trade matters, including legal assessments of trade measures to be adopted by Colombia and other countries.  Ms Garcés Escobar has a law degree from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá Colombia. She also holds a degree in Economics and a Graduate degree in International Business Law from the same university.

Nathalie Diaz (2014-2015)

Ms Nathalie Diaz, from Peru, has a law degree from the Catholic University of Peru and has also completed her master studies in International Law and Economics at the World Trade Institute of the University of Bern in Switzerland.

As the Legal Coordinator at the Anti-dumping and Countervailing Duties Commission of the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property (INDECOPI), she has been responsible for the coordination of numerous trade remedies investigations and has also provided technical assistance on trade remedies matters to the Peruvian Ministry of Trade and Tourism in the negotiations of free trade agreements with several WTO Members.

She previously worked at the Defense of Competition Tribunal of INDECOPI and the Legal Advisory Division of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Angela Kaunda (2014-2015)

Ms Angela Kaunda from Malawi is a Legislative Counsel in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. Her responsibilities include drafting of principal and subsidiary legislation, drafting, negotiating and vetting of Government Agreements and legal arrangements including Memoranda of Understanding, and the provision of legal advice to Government Ministries and Departments including the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

She holds an LL.B. (Honours) degree from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom and an LL.M. degree in Banking and Finance Law from Queen Mary College, University of London, United Kingdom. She is admitted to the Bar of England and Wales, (Honourable society of the Inner Temple) and to the Bar of Malawi.

Thi Nhung Nguyen (2014-2015)

Shailja Singh (2014-2015)

Ms Shailja Singh, from India, is a legal consultant at the Centre for WTO Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi. Her responsibilities include assisting the Government of India in WTO disputes where India is a party or a third party, and providing legal opinion on issues relating to the WTO and free trade agreement rules and negotiations.

She is also involved in the various international as well as national capacity building programmes on WTO issues conducted by the Centre for WTO Studies, where she acts as a resource person.

Ms Singh has an LL.M. from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom and a B.A. LL.B. (Honours) from the W.B. National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, India.

Maryanne Macheru (2013-2014)

Ms Maryanne Macheru is a State Counsel in the Office of the Attorney General, Kenya. Her responsibilities include representing the government on commercial law claims before domestic courts and tribunals, advising government ministries and state agencies on international agreements as well as negotiating, drafting and reviewing government contracts. She has an LL.B. (Honours) from the University of Nairobi and an LL.M. in International Trade, Business and Investments Law from University of the Western Cape, South Africa. She is admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a member of the Law Society of Kenya.

Karolyn Salcedo (2013-2014)

Ms Karolyn Salcedo, from the Dominican Republic, is a lawyer in the Legal Department of Customs of the Dominican Republic. Her duties include the review of legal draft documents regarding trade and commerce, and preparing legal opinions regarding customs matters. Ms Salcedo is a member of the steering committee in the Single Window for International Trade Project, which included the drafting of the legal documents for the implementation of the Single Window, such as Presidential Decree, Memorandum of Understanding and Service Level Agreements. Ms Salcedo has also worked in a law firm in the Dominican Republic on matters related to corporate affairs and Intellectual Property Rights. She has a Law Degree from Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra in Dominican Republic, and a LL.M. in International Economic Law and Policy, from the University of Barcelona, Spain.

Saffie Sankareh (2013-2014)

Ms Saffie Sankareh, from the Gambia, is a State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Justice. Her responsibilities include representing Government interests in domestic courts, drafting of primary and subsidiary legislation, preparing treaty documents for ratification as well as offering legal opinion to Ministries and Government Agencies. Ms Sankareh holds an LL.B. (Honours) degree from the University of Aberystwyth in Wales and an LL.M. (Honours) degree in International law from the University of Bristol in England. She is admitted as a Barrister at law (Gray’s inn) in the United Kingdom and is also admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Gambia.

Miguel Castro Riberos (2012-2013)

Mr. Miguel Castro Riberos, from Colombia, is a lawyer in the International Legal Affairs Office of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism. In that role, he drafts Colombia’s submissions as a third party in WTO disputes, provides legal advice on trade law and on implementing free trade agreements. Mr. Castro has also worked for four years for law firms in Colombia on matters related to customs, international trade and antitrust law. Additionally, he has lectured at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Law School in Colombia on WTO law. Mr. Castro holds a law degree and a specialization degree in antitrust and international trade law from that same law school.

Kamontip Pasoontarakarn (2012-2013)

Ms Kamontip Pasoontarakarn, from Thailand, is a trade officer in the Department of Trade Negotiations of Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce. Her duties include providing legal opinions on procedural and substantive issues relating to WTO rules, as well as opinions regarding negotiation and implementation of Thailand’s FTAs and economic cooperation agreements. She has a Bachelor of Economics from Peking University, a Juris Doctor from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a Master of Laws from American University Washington College of Law.

Loukinikini Vili (2012-2013)

Ms Loukinikini Vili, from the Independent State of Samoa, is a State Solicitor in the Civil Litigation and Opinions Division in the Office of the Attorney General. Her responsibilities include representing the government in civil claims before domestic courts and tribunals, providing legal opinions to Samoa’s government departments, as well as negotiating, drafting and reviewing government contracts. She holds a law degree from the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu, and is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Samoa. She is also a member of the Samoa Law Society.

Faisal Al-Nabhani (2011-2012)

Mr. Faisal Al-Nabhani is a legal researcher with the Ministry of Legal Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman. His responsibilities include reviewing draft conventions and treaties that the government intends to conclude and preparing the implementing legislation as well as drafting legal opinions. Mr. Al-Nahbani has a Masters of Law in International Business and Economic Law from Georgetown University Law Centre, a Diploma in Legal Practice from Oxford University and a law degree from the University of Warwick. He is a student member of the Law Society of England and Wales.

Pablo Escobar (2011-2012)

Mr. Pablo Escobar is a lawyer with the Permanent Mission of Ecuador to the WTO. His duties include participating in the Doha Round negotiations, including Trade Facilitation, Trade and Environment, Fisheries Subsidies, Agriculture and reform of the Dispute Settlement Understanding. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Panamerican Center and a Juris Doctor from Universidad del Azuay. He graduated from the Academia Diplomática Ecuador with distinction.

Jeremy Kumajas (2011-2012)

Mr. Jeremy Kumajas is a lawyer with the Legal Bureau of the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia. His responsibilities include drafting regulations for the Ministry of Trade and ensuring consistency with national as well as international law. He has a degree in Economic Law from Universitas Indonesia and a Masters of Law from Maastricht University.

Mesut Aydin (2010-2011)

Mr. Mesut Aydin, from Turkey, is a foreign trade expert in Turkey’s Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade. His responsibilities include negotiating and concluding free trade agreements with the countries covered by the European Union’s common commercial policy. He has law degrees from Gazi University Law School and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Gaewgarn Fuangtong (2010-2011)

Ms Gaewgarn Fuangtong, from Thailand, is a trade officer in the Bureau of Trade Interests and Remedies in Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce. Her responsibilities include assisting in anti-dumping proceedings initiated by Thailand as well as assisting Thai producers to defend in trade remedy proceedings initiated by other WTO Members. She has law degrees from Thammasat University in Bangkok, the University of Chicago and New York University.

Jose Mario Elino Tan (2010-2011)

Mr. Jose Mario Elino Tan, from the Philippines, is a lawyer in the Office of the Solicitor-General of the Philippines, which represents the government of the Philippines before domestic courts and international tribunals such as WTO panels and the Appellate Body. Mr. Tan holds a law degree from Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. He is a member of the California bar and the integrated bar of the Philipines.

Catherine Muganga (2009-2010)

Ms Catherine Muganga, from Uganda, is a state attorney in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Uganda. She has recently been involved in the negotiations on “Economic Partnership Agreements” between the European Community and the EAC countries. Ms Muganga holds an LL.B. degree (Honours) from Makerere University, Uganda, and an LL.M. degree from Dalhousie University, Canada. Upon completing her secondment in 2010, Ms Muganga returned to her position at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in the Directorate of Legal Advisory Services.

Shandana Gulzar Khan (2008-2009)

Ms Shandana Gulzar Khan, from Pakistan, has law degrees from the University of Peshawar and the University of Cambridge.

As the Legal Affairs Officer at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the WTO in Geneva for the last two years, she has been responsible for the legal work of the mission, including negotiations on the Dispute Settlement Understanding and the TRIPS Agreement.

She previously worked at Azam Chaudhry Law Associates and the Asian Institute of Trade and Development in Islamabad. She has also published various articles on WTO matters.

Liang-Rong Lin (2008-2009)

Ms Liang-Rong Lin, from Chinese Taipei, has an LL.B. and LL.M. degree from Taiwan University and Soochow University, respectively, both in Chinese Taipei. She was also a visiting scholar at Yale Law School. She is currently a legal advisor in the Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, where she provides legal advice on trade policy, negotiations and dispute settlement. She has drafted several third party submissions for WTO disputes in which Chinese Taipei was involved. She previously represented the government as a public prosecutor in criminal cases including high-profile cases on corruption. Ms Lin is also a reporter for the Oxford Reports on International Law in Domestic Courts. In November 2008, Ms Lin won Chinese Taipei’s Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award, which honours young people who excel in their chosen field. Ms Lin won in the category of public administration and was recognised for her achievement as a prosecutor in high-profile corruption cases.

Gheidy Gallo Santos (2008-2009)

Ms Gheidy Gallo Santos, from Colombia, has a B.A. degree in Law from the National University of Colombia. She currently works as a Legal Adviser in International Economic Law at the Entrepreneurial Development Office of the National Planning Department and is a member of the Colombian Negotiating Team for International Trade Agreements in the Institutional Provisions and Dispute Settlement Chapters. She previously worked for the Colombian Senate Committee on International Relations and Foreign Trade. She has also worked at Ramirez & Orozco International Strategy Consultants in Colombia on matters related to International Economic Law, especially, the FTA negotiating process between Colombia and the United States. Additionally, she has lectured at the Faculty of Law of the National University on the law of economic integration in Colombia.

Talat Kaya (2007-2008)

Before he joined the ACWL in 2007, Mr. Talat Kaya, from Turkey, worked as a Foreign Trade Expert in Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade. In that capacity, he worked on trade and competition policy issues and regularly attended the Textile Committee meetings of the EC Commission. He graduated from Ankara University Law Faculty and received an LL.M. from Vanderbilt University, USA, where he wrote a thesis on the patentability of computer programs under the TRIPS Agreement. Upon completing his secondment in 2008, Mr. Kaya returned to his position at the Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade.

Pema Rinzin (2007-2008)

Prior to joining the ACWL in 2007, Mr. Pema Rinzin, from Bhutan, was a senior Assistant Attorney General working in the Office of the Attorney General. Mr. Rinzin was also a member of the team that worked on the accession of Bhutan to the WTO. He has a B.A. degree (Honours) from Delhi University, an LL.B. from Bombay University in India and an LL.M. from the National University of Singapore. Upon completing his secondment in 2008, Mr. Rinzin returned to his position in the Office of the Attorney General.

Sophia Sitati (2007-2008)

Ms Sophia Sitati joined the ACWL in 2007 from Kenya, where she was a State Counsel in the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Treaties and Agreements. Her responsibilities included advising government Ministries, departments and state corporations in negotiating and implementing international agreements and treaties. She has an LL.B. (Honours) from the University of Nairobi and is undertaking a M.A. in International Studies at the same university. Upon completing her secondment in 2008, Ms Sitati returned to the State Law Office as Senior State Counsel.

Mary Kachale (2006-2007)

At the time she joined the ACWL, Ms Mary Kachale, from Malawi, was Senior Assistant Chief State Advocate in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in Malawi. Her responsibilities included giving legal advice to government departments and ministries, such as the Ministry of Trade and Private Sector Development. She has a B.A. degree (Honours) from the University of Malawi and a Diploma in International Protection of Human Rights from the Institute for Human Rights, Abo Akademi, Finland. She participated in the regional training seminar on WTO dispute settlement rules in Nairobi in 2003. Upon completing her secondment in 2007, Ms. Kachale returned to her position in the Ministry of Justice. In 2009, she was awarded an LL.M. in Public International Law at the University College, London; in 2010 she commenced her PhD in law at the same university.

Mokhtar Warida (2006-2007)

Prior to joining the ACWL, Mr. Mokhtar Warida, from Egypt, worked on international economic law and trade policy issues with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1998. He has a B.A. degree in Economics and a M.A. in Political Science and Professional Development. Upon completing his secondment in 2007, Mr. Warida returned to his position in the Foreign Ministry and has since been appointed as First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Geneva. Further, Mr. Warida successfully completed the requirements of a PhD in Law from Queen Mary, University of London.

Mpho Palime (2005-2006)

Ms Mpho Palime, from Lesotho, studied law at the National University of Lesotho where she obtained a Diploma in Law in 1987, a B.A. in Law in 1990 and an LL.B. in 1992. Upon completion of her studies she joined the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Lesotho in September 1992 as Legal Officer.

During this time she worked on a range of legal issues related to both internal and external trade, and negotiations of various regional trade agreements to which Lesotho is a member. In January 2001 she was seconded to the secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) – a regional organisation made up of 15 member States including 8 LDCs – in Gaborone, Botswana. Her responsibilities included overseeing the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Trade. In February 2003, she rejoined the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Lesotho as Principal Legal Officer and she became part of the SACU delegation in the negotiation of various FTAs, mainly the SACU – US FTA negotiations. Upon completing her secondment in 2006, Ms. Palime resumed her duties as Chief Legal Officer in Lesotho’s Ministry of Trade and Industry.

In August 2007, Ms. Palime left the service of the Government of Lesotho and took up a position as a legal officer in the SADC Secretariat.

Olga Dios (2005-2006)

Ms. Olga Dios, from Paraguay, obtained her B.A. (Summa cum laude-Valedictorian) from the Catholic University of Asuncion, Paraguay. Subsequently she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C., where she obtained an LL.M. in International Legal Studies.

Ms. Dios worked for the Paraguayan Ministry of Trade and Industry on matters related to international trade and WTO Law, regional trade agreements, Mercosur as well as with the draft of Competition Law. She has been a negotiator for the Paraguayan government in regional trade forums. She coordinated the work for the last Trade Policy Review of Paraguay before the WTO in April 2005. She has also worked for a private law firm in Paraguay, in matters related to international business law, contracts, public biddings, environmental law and intellectual property rights.

Since 2000, Ms. Dios has been a registered legal practitioner with the Supreme Court of Paraguay. She speaks fluent Spanish, English and French and has a knowledge of Portuguese.

Upon completing her secondment in 2006, Ms. Dios returned to Paraguay, where she is Director of Energy Resources at the Vice-Ministry of Mines and Energy, Ministry of Public Works and Communication.