JRR welcomes the new Chair of its Executive Board, Finland, in the person of Ambassador Marjah Lehto. Ambassador Lehto has behind her nearly twenty years of diplomatic activity related to international peace and security as well as international law issues, mostly in a multilateral context (UN, EU, Council of Europe), and including negotiations on the establishment of the International Criminal Court. She has also had a few bilateral postings, most recently as Finland’s Ambassador to Luxembourg from 2009 to 2014. She has now returned to Helsinki as a special Ambassador in the Legal Service.
On the first week of her new appointment, Ambassador Lehto spent a very productive day at the JRR Offices in Geneva. The Secretariat very much looks forward to working with Ambassador Lehto in delivering on JRR’s mandate and fulfilling its vision of having the investigation of international crimes be as quick and professional as those of any crime in a domestic jurisdiction.
Executive Board members have all expressed their gratitude to their out-going Chair, Uganda, in the person of Ambassador Mirjam Blaak Sow, who greatly contributed to the growth and success of JRR. As Ambassador Blaak will continue to represent Uganda on the Executive Board, JRR will continue to benefit from her wisdom and energy.