Christine Chinkin

Christine Chinkin, Fellow of the British Academy, is Emerita Professor of International Law and founding Director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security.

Professor Chinkin is a leading expert on international law and human rights law, especially the international human rights of women. In 2000, her co-authored, ground-breaking book with Hilary Charlesworth, ‘The Boundaries of International Law: a feminist analysis’ examined the status of women in human rights and international law’. In 2005, in recognition of this and other contributions, Chinkin and Charlesworth were awarded the American Society of International Law, Goler T. Butcher Medal 'for outstanding contributions to the development or effective realization of international human rights law'.

Professor Chinkin has been a consultant or advisor to UN bodies on a range of issues including human trafficking gender-based persecution in armed conflict, peace agreements and gender and violence against women. She was a member of the UN fact-finding missions to Gaza in 2007 (Beit Hanoun) and 2009 (the Goldstone Report).

Professor Chinkin is a leading expert on the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). She co-edited the seminal book ‘The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women: A Commentary’ and authored the chapter on violence against women and girls. She was scientific advisor to the Council of Europe Committee that drafted the Convention on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the 'Istanbul Convention'), the most far-reaching international treaty aimed at tackling violence against women and domestic violence.

She is a currently a member of the three-person Kosovo Human Rights Advisory Panel, a member of the steering board of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative of the UK Government, and specialist advisor to the House of Lords Select Committee on Sexual Violence in Conflict. She is a barrister, and an academic member of Matrix Chambers.