Search Results - Gawanas, Bience

Bience Gawanas

Bience Philomina Gawanas (born 1956) is a Namibian lawyer who served as Special Adviser on Africa for the United Nations from 2018 to 2020. She is Chancellor of University of Warwick, her British ''alma mater''.

From 2002 to 2012 Gawanas served as Commissioner for Social Affairs at the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government. She was a Commissioner on the Public Service Commission in Namibia from 1991 to 1996, and an ombudswoman in the Government of Namibia from 1996 to 2003. She served as a lecturer in Gender Law at the University of Namibia, Director of the Board of the Bank of Namibia (the country's central bank). She was involved in many non-governmental organizations including Secretary-General of the Namibian National Women's Organization and patron of Namibian Federation of Persons with Disabilities. As Chairperson of the Law Reform and Development Commission, she oversaw the passage of the Married Persons' Equality Act. The commission also did extensive work on Rape Acts and other important laws that were eventually passed after her time. Provided by Wikipedia