Ambassador Osman Keh Kamara is Sierra Leone’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Permanent Representative to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa since 2014. His diplomatic district covers the State of Israel and countries in the Eastern and Southern African regions. He has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the Commonwealth University in London during a well-attended graduation ceremony held on Tuesday 31st October, 2017 in the United Arab Emirates.
Ambassador Keh Kamara was recognized for his outstanding representation of Sierra Leone to the African Union and its various policy organs. For instance, Sierra Leone is an ardent member of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU). A standing policy organ of the AU that is responsible for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts on the continent.
It may be recalled that on assuming office as Permanent Representative to the AU, through his commitment to duty, Sierra Leone for the very first time became a member of the Peace and Security Council in 2016. During this period, he was able to mobilize funds in the fight against the Ebola Virus Disease as well as the recent mudslides that resulted to the loss of hundreds of lives including women and children. In the months of December 2016 to January 2017, owing to his excellent performance and with the approval of Council, Ambassador Keh Kamara made an unprecedented record at the PSC to serve as Chair for two consecutive months instead of the stipulated one month. He has been vocal on issues among others; the Practical Steps in Silencing the Guns on the continent by the year 2020, Reform of the UN Security Council, making a case for refugees, children, internally displaced persons, and gender parity. No doubt because of his excellent performance, Sierra Leone will continue to serve on the PSC for another two year period 2018 -2019.
In his bid to permeate the African Union with Sierra Leone and its citizens, Ambassador Keh Kamara strategically ensured that Sierra Leone became a member of the AU Human Rights Commission and the African Union Anti-Corruption Board respectively in 2015. Sierra Leone is currently a member and Chairperson of the African Union Ministerial Committee on Candidatures within the International System under the distinguished leadership of Sierra Leone Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara.
Ambassador Keh Kamara has also worked relentlessly to see the completion of the edifice of a new Chancery Building, which was inaugurated in July 2017 by His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.Before his appointment as Permanent Representative to the African Union, this distinguished patriot was Deputy Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations in New York. He was specifically in charge of the Sixth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly which is responsible for all legal matters of the organization. He also served as Co-Counsel (Appeals Chamber) of the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Due to his proficiency in Ocean Law and Policy, he was elected by the UN General Assembly and appointed by the UN Secretary General to serve as Member of the UN Group of Experts of the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of Marine Environment including its Socio-economic Aspects. He participated in the preparation of the report of the First Global Integrated Marine Assessment adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2015. He has been re-elected for another term of five years ending in 2020.
As an expert on International Humanitarian Law, he served as Co-Counsel (Appeals Chambers) of the United Nations backed Special Court for Sierra Leone. He also served as Manager in the Prosecutions Unit of the Sierra Leone National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT), he has been a retained Barrister & Solicitor of UNHCR on gender based offences; he performed similar and other legal services for several institutions and persons in Sierra Leone between 2000-2008.
He is a team player imbued with excellent leadership skills and insatiable drive to permeate the Republic of Sierra Leone into various African Union institutions.
He holds an LL.B Hons. (Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone) BL (Sierra Leone Law School), MPA (Columbia University, New York, USA), Post-Graduate Diploma (Rhodes Academy of Ocean Law and Policy, Greece). He has been a Nippon Foundation Fellow at the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea in Hamburg where he spent time at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany. He has also been a Fellow of the UN Regional Course on International Law and a Fellow of the International Academy of Arbitration Law in Paris, France.
He is an Author of a Chapter in a book titled “Shielding Humanity– Essays in International Law” Published in 2015 by Brill Nijhoff etc.
Ambassador Keh Kamara is happily married to Madam FATHIA Kamara and they are blessed with children. This son of the soil has made Sierra Leone proud both at national and international arenas. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, the Academic Council of the Commonwealth University has awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) Honoris Causa on 31st day of October, 2017.
