Kakpo Yawo Senyéebia

Holder of two doctorates (Political Science, International Relations option with a specialization in Diplomacy and International Law, Fundamental Rights option) and a DEA in Protestant Theology, Social and Political Ethics option, Mr. KAKPO Yawo Senyéebia, in addition to being a religious figure, serves as a lecturer and researcher in legal sciences (international law) and politics (international relations) at the Universities of Lomé and Kara (former Head of the Department of Political Science) as well as at the National School of Administration of Lomé (Cycle III-Diplomacy).

He is a lecturer at the Togolese Armed Forces General Staff Course and is a lecturer at the Togolese Armed Forces Officer Training School. He is the founder of the Institute of Advanced Studies in International Relations (IHERIS) in Lomé.

Since 1997, this Togolese pastor and academic has been interested in issues of fundamental human rights and social justice, particularly in programs and themes promoting and protecting human rights and the culture of nonviolence and peace. This led him to pursue training in this area in appropriate centers and schools.

Back in Togo in 2004, in addition to his academic activities, he coordinated the program promoting and protecting a culture of peace and reconciliation for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo, as a trainer in conflict management, transitional justice, and mediation for social promotion agents for civil society organizations and grassroots communities. He participated in the work of a team appointed by the Togolese government in October 2005, as part of a pre-forum for national reconciliation following the painful events that the country experienced (February-June 2005). This team's goal was to find a better approach to balance the demands of criminal justice and restorative justice with a view to reconciliation among the Togolese people. This led to the establishment of a Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission, which operated from 2009 to 2011.

An activist in several associations and movements for the protection and promotion of human rights and a culture of peace at the national and international levels, and a trainer in transitional justice and peaceful and nonviolent communication, Mr. Kakpo has been a graduate and accredited researcher at the Centre for Studies and Research of the Academy of International Law in The Hague (Netherlands) since 1999, at the International Centre for Transitional Justice in Brussels since December 2005, and holds a certificate in teaching human rights in universities from the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg. (2013). He has led sessions on various themes in several African countries and elsewhere. His expertise is sought after in Africa and the West.