• Date: October 22nd, Thursday, 2026, 10:30 – 11:30
• Location: Room 303, SNUAC (Bldg. 101)

Presenter: Ibrahima Guissé (Vice-Chair, UN CERD)

Africa today is undergoing a range of transformations shaped by the intersection of political and social change with shifts in the international environment. These developments extend beyond the politics of individual states, reshaping public spheres and societies across the continent while remaining closely connected to broader global dynamics.

This seminar invites Dr. Ibrahima Guissé, Vice-Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), to examine the major social and historical contexts that have shaped environmental and social change in Africa. Drawing on his research and teaching experience, as well as his engagement with public deliberative bodies in Africa, the seminar will highlight key political and social transformations currently underway and provide an opportunity to discuss the present and future of African societies in a changing world.

Dr. Ibrahima Guissé is Vice-Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and Chair of its Working Group on Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedures. He also serves as CERD Focal Point to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of Complementary Standards to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

An international expert and sociologist, Dr. Guissé has extensive experience in high-level policy dialogue with governments, strategic research, and the development of partnerships among public institutions, international organizations, universities, and civil society. He is a co-founder of the Centre for Research and Action on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CRADESC), based in Dakar, Senegal, and also serves as Vice-Chair of the African Union Committee of Experts on Reparations (AUCER).

He received his PhD in Economic and Social Sciences (Sociology) from the University of Geneva and is currently an affiliated researcher at the university’s Institute of Sociological Research (IRS). His main research interests include mixed migration and human rights in Africa, vulnerability and agency, international students, structural discrimination, and public policy.