Former DRC refugee becomes rector of Edinburgh University

The Herald 20 February 2021

Human rights lawyer, Deborah Kayembe, will be the third woman to hold the position as rector of the University of Edinburgh since the role was created in 1858. Kayembe, who came to the United Kingdom as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has lived in Scotland since 2011, writes Tammar Scotland for The Herald.

She has served on the board of the Scottish Refugee Council, and is a member of the office of the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Court Bar Association. Her achievements and contributions were honoured in 2019 by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and she became the first African to have her portrait on the wall.

Kayembe will take up her role on 1 March. She said: “I am delighted and deeply honoured to be elected as the first person of colour to hold the position of rector of the University of Edinburgh. I am fully aware of the importance of my role at such a critical time.”
Full report on The Herald site

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