Dr. Inès Hadonou Toffoun – full name Akouavi Inès Laurenda Hadonou Toffoun, under 50 years old – has been elected member of the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2027‑2029 mandate. This took place during the 63rd ordinary session of the Council, held from September 7 to October 7, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland. A key event during the session was the election of members to the Council’s Advisory Committee. Six independent experts were elected to fill vacant seats on this body. The process involved a specific nomination mechanism: prior to selection, candidates had to be formally nominated by their respective countries. Subsequently, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights selected candidates to propose to the President of the UN Human Rights Council, who then submitted them for a vote. Specifically, two of the six vacant seats were allocated to Africa. Following the selection phase, three candidates emerged, two of whom were ultimately elected by acclamation by the UN Human Rights Council. It is worth noting that this marks the first time in its history that Benin has held this position—making the election of Dr. Akouavi Inès Laurenda Hadonou Toffoun all the more noteworthy.
A lecturer‑researcher at the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the University of Parakou since 2015 and currently Director of Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice and Legislation of Benin, Dr. Inès Hadonou Toffoun has reached a new milestone in her professional career. She now carries Beninese expertise into the UN system, within an Advisory Committee composed of eighteen independent experts. This body serves as a framework for reflection and analysis, tasked with conducting in‑depth research on human rights issues to inform deliberations and guide the Council’s decisions.
Her election is far from a coincidence; it crowns an exceptional career. Since May 2025, she has been an alternate member of the Beninese Human Rights Commission (INDH). With extensive professional experience in human rights, she has demonstrated strong managerial capacity and high‑level leadership. In Benin, she has led the Directorate of Human Rights for ten years, the Directorate of Prison Administration for four years, and the Directorate of Child Rights for two years.
Dr. Hadonou Toffoun also possesses solid expertise in program management (coordination of activities, budgeting, team leadership), reporting to treaty bodies, and representing Benin in international forums. Her proven skills cover human rights (including categorical rights and reporting), humanitarian law, prison administration, and issues of deprivation of liberty. Since 2009, she has worked as a consultant in human rights, environment, human resources, and metrology.
Her achievements have not gone unnoticed. She received a Letter of Encouragement from the Minister of Justice (2016‑2017) and was twice nominated to represent Benin: first to the Committee Against Torture (endorsed by the African Union in 2019), and later to the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture in 2020. She was named among the Top 100 Women of the Year 2022 in Benin and won the RAANAN Leadership Trophies for African and diaspora women in 2024.
As a researcher, Dr. Hadonou Toffoun has published extensively on key issues, including: “Protection of Migrants in West Africa: Between Free Movement and Security Constraints” and “Fifteen Years of Implementation of the Code of Persons and Family” (2026); “Juvenile Imprisonment in Benin: Stepping Stone or Last Resort?” (2017); “Adoptive Filiation in Francophone Black Africa from 1895 to the Present: The Cases of Benin and Senegal” (2014); “Climate Change, Environmental Dynamics and Social Crises in West Africa” (collective work, Harmattan, 2012); “The Issue of GMOs in the UEMOA Area: The Cases of Benin and Burkina Faso” (2005); and “Corporate Responsibility in Pollution in Benin” (2003).
Her election to the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee is both a recognition of her remarkable career and a call to carry the torch of international justice for Africa and its diaspora.