Ryerson Law welcomes the Honourable Dr. Chile Eboe-Osuji as Distinguished International Jurist
Ryerson Law is pleased to announce that the Honourable Dr. Chile Eboe-Osuji is joining the law school as a Distinguished International Jurist. He will also serve as a Special Advisor to the President’s Office. The Nigerian-born Dr. Eboe-Osuji recently completed his term as President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. He was also concurrently serving as a senior judge in the Appeals Division of the ICC from March 2018 to March 2021.
In his new role at Ryerson Law, Dr. Eboe-Osuji will share his extensive knowledge on the workings of international systems including institutions such as the UN and its agencies, as well as the ICC. He will also lead discussions on the international human rights regime, the international humanitarian law regime, the role of international courts/tribunals, and the rule of law.
“My role as I see it in relation to the future lawyers who will pass through Ryerson is to share with them the experience and scholarship that I have gained in international law, criminal law, human rights law and humanitarian law in their discrete domains and in their meld as a unique discipline. No calling could be more rewarding. And I’m looking forward to it,” said Dr. Eboe-Osuji.
As Distinguished International Jurist, Dr. Eboe-Osuji will also play a key role in advancing the law school’s strategic objectives including raising Ryerson Law’s international profile through teaching initiatives, programmatic collaborations, and public discourse. He will also actively assist with developing an international curriculum, internship opportunities, and partnerships with international law schools and organizations.
“I am elated by the news of Dr. Eboe-Osuji’s arrival to the law school as he brings immense international experience as a scholar, practitioner, and leader. He will undoubtedly enrich the teaching and learning experience at Ryerson Law by supporting innovative research, collaborating with our faculty, and providing invaluable instruction and guidance to our students,” shared Donna Young, Founding Dean of Ryerson Law.
As a Special Advisor to the President, Dr. Eboe-Osuji will help to expand the university’s partnerships, contribute to Ryerson’s internationalization strategy, and strengthen Ryerson’s profile in Canada and beyond.
“I’m particularly thrilled to be joining Dean Donna Young and her stellar team of legal scholars as they begin to build at Ryerson University a law school that should quickly join the ranks of superb law schools that we have in the Toronto area. I’m immensely honoured that the Dean and the President invited me to join them in that project,” said Dr. Eboe-Osuji.
Prior to joining the ICC, Dr. Eboe-Osuji served as the Legal Advisor to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva where he anchored the High Commissioner’s interventions in cases involving human rights questions, notably writing amicus curiae submissions to the European Court of Human Rights and the United States Supreme Court. Earlier in his career at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, he held several posts including serving as lead Trial Counsel for the Prosecution, Senior Legal Officer to the judges, and Head of Chambers. Before joining the international public service, Dr. Eboe-Osuji practiced law as a courtroom advocate before the courts in both Canada and Nigeria. In addition to serving as trial counsel, Dr. Eboe-Osuji argued appeals before the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Dr. Eboe-Osuji is a visiting professor at Stanford University Law School and a senior fellow at Cambridge University. He has also taught international criminal law as adjunct professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa. Dr. Eboe-Osuji has an extensive record of legal scholarship and publications, including the books titled International Law and Sexual Violence in Armed Conflicts, and Protecting Humanity (ed). He is also the editor-in-chief of the Nigerian Yearbook of International Law.
Among his many accolades, Dr. Eboe-Osuji has received an honorary Doctorate from Middlesex University, UK and was awarded the Gold Medal of the Honorary Patronage from the Philosophical Society of Trinity College at the University of Dublin, Ireland.
Dr. Eboe-Osuji and his family are very excited about their upcoming move to Toronto.
“It was from Toronto that I set off on my journey to serve the international community many years ago. At the conclusion of that journey, I’m excited to be returning to the city that I love so much,” shared Dr. Eboe-Osuji.