About the Publisher
Mr Iheukwumere Columba Duru is a retired United Nations official. He holds a Master’s degree in French Philology, French Literature and English Literature from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Grenoble in France.
He joined the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 1980, and served in different countries in various capacities, including Assistant Regional Liaison Representative (Legal Protection) at UNHCR Regional Liaison Office for Africa (RLO), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Deputy Representative, Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Chief of Mission (on mission status), Eritrea. While in Addis Ababa, as the official in charge of the International Legal Protection Unit he was responsible for RLO’s day-to-day contact with the Organization of African Unity (OAU). In this capacity, he participated in many OAU’s technical meetings on the root causes of forced population movements in Africa and international responses, conflict resolution, economic and social development and integration, poverty alleviation, etc., gaining an invaluable insight into various aspects of the socio-economic development challenges in the continent.
He retired from the United Nations in December 2007. Motivated by a desire to contribute in one meaningful way or another to ongoing efforts to alleviate widespread poverty in West Africa, and armed with a thorough grasp of the political, economic and social realities – as well as of the prevailing legal systems – in the region, he decided to devote his time to research on ECOWAS and the process of economic integration which has the potential to lift the region out of poverty. He focuses on purely legal matters the understanding of which will definitely contribute to the acceleration of the integration process. His first article entitled “ECOWAS: Regional Integration through Legal Integration” was published in a Nigerian newspaper in August 2010. His second article bearing the title “The Role of National Courts and Tribunals in the Enforcement of Community Law” was published online a few years later. Subsequent articles are published on the website www.wareiobs.com which he created in January 2019. These include “ECOWAS Court of Justice: National courts are also Community courts”; “The Role of Community Court of Justice in the Enforcement of Community Law”; “WAEMU” or “UEMOA” Law: An Introductory Overview; “Capacity Building in the Area of Community Law: A Sine Qua Non for Success of African Regional Economic Integration Agenda”; “Entry into Force of ECOWAS Protocols and Supplementary Acts”.
Earlier publication outside the area of Law (in French): “Les Chansons de Croisade des Troubadours” (1977).
Contact Email – [email protected]