Francesca Albanese

International legal scholar and academic (born 1977) This article is about the international lawyer. Albanese ( Italian pronunciation: [franˈtʃeska albaˈneːse, -eːze] ; born 30 March 1977) is an Italian legal scholar and expert on human rights. On 1 May 2022, she was appointed United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories for a three-year term, which was then renewed for another three years. She is the first woman to hold the position. Albanese holds a law degree with honours from the University of Pisa and a Master of Laws in human rights from SOAS University of London . She is an Affiliate Scholar at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University , a senior advisor on Migration and Forced Displacement at the non-profit Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD). As part of her current position as a UN special rapporteur , Albanese has been critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories and recommended in her first report that UN member states develop a plan to end the occupation and apartheid . After the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip , Albanese called for an immediate ceasefire and warned that Palestinians in Gaza were at risk of ethnic cleansing . On 26 March 2024, Albanese reported to the UN Human Rights Council that Israel's actions in Gaza amounted to genocide . Critics of Albanese have accused her of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias. Several human rights groups and numerous scholars of antisemitism have said the accusations are illegitimate attempts to discredit her. "OHCHR | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967" . "Lunchtime Seminar: 'Resetting the Mind: Settler Colonialism, Apartheid and the Right to Self-determination in Palestine' " . "UN Watch calls for sanctions against Francesca Albanese over antisemitism and terrorism support" .