Ms. Ciesay:  possesses a solid combination of practitioner-academic experience in private legal practice, with civil society and the United Nations. Her focus has been in the field of human rights and international humanitarian law, promoting rights of women and marginalized groups, gender justice and protection of civilians. Ms. Ciesay has held several positions within various United Nations missions and agencies including in UNHQ/New York, Addis Ababa, Afghanistan, Darfur, Kosovo, Liberia, South Sudan, and Uganda.

 Prior to joining the United Nations Ms. Ciesay worked in the UK holding different portfolios with legal organizations and human rights advocacy groups as a Legal Practitioner, Case Worker and Researcher on issues related to minority rights and religious freedoms, women/children’s rights, and refugee law. She also represented clients seeking asylum in the UK during her tenure as an in-house Advocate and member of the Free Representation Unit.

 For four (4) years up until March 2022, Priscilla was a UN Special Procedures Mandate Holder and member of the UN Group of Experts. In that position, she served as an Independent Expert and was the Coordinator and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Human Rights Expert with the UN Panel of Experts on Sudan, pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1591 (2005).

 She works as a freelance Consultant and Trainer specializing in a wide range of areas such as Human Rights Institutional Support/Strengthening, International Humanitarian Law, Gender, and Transitional Justice. Since 2022, Priscilla has been serving as Human Rights and Transitional Justice Consultant with UNOHCHR and UNDP-Gambia to support their post-Transitional Justice work in The Gambia following the end of the mandate of The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC).

 From 2018, she has been heavily invested in supporting victims’ groups in The Gambia’s transitional justice process. She co-founded and also serves as the Snr. Technical Advisor for Women’s Association, Women & Victims’ Empowerment (WAVE-Gambia), a women-led, women’s human rights organization. With WAVE, her niche is also in her work and closeness to women and victims in different communities, particularly outside of urban areas and supporting women and girls with disabilities who continue to be highly marginalized in society. Priscilla maintains a crucial role in supporting women to be part of the TJ process in The Gambia where she continues to create awareness to enhance knowledge and bridge information gaps, document human rights violations and abuses, advocate for action and facilitate access to different forms of reparations and redress including for victims of SGBV. She supports and empowers women and victims to amplify their voices, build their agency and enhance their participation in both the public and private sphere whilst at the same time promoting and safeguarding social cohesiveness and coping mechanisms to deal with trauma, stigma, and other societal ills occasioned by the violations they’ve encountered. 

 A Barrister with over 20 years post-Call, Priscilla is a member of the UK Bar (Honorable Society of the Inner Temple) and a Barrister and Solicitor of The Gambia Supreme Court. She holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree and obtained her Master of Laws Degree in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from King’s College, London. In 2001, she completed the Post Grad Diploma in Legal Education from The City Law School, City University, London. She has membership of various international and national organizations and currently serves as an

International Advisory Board Member for the University of Arizona’s Human Rights Practice Program.