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Namibia

Monthly Updates

March 2023 | First female judges appointed to Namibia’s supreme court

For the first time since its independence in 1990, Namibia has appointed female judges to serve on its supreme court. Lady Justice Rita Makarau, Lady Justice Johanna Prinsloo, and Lady Justice Esi Schimming-Chase will serve as temporary, Acting Supreme Court Judges from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. Three male Acting Supreme Court Judges were appointed to serve one-year terms in January 2023. Under the Namibian constitution, Acting Judges can be appointed to the Supreme Court to fill casual vacancies or on an ad hoc basis where their expertise is required by a particular case. The small number of permanent Supreme Court Judges (presently four) and case backlogs have meant that there has been a significant demand for Acting Judges. The appointments were welcomed by gender equality activists in Namibia as the shattering of ‘a huge glass ceiling.’ However, the country’s Minister of Justice, Yvonne Dausab, cautioned that more needed to be done to transform the leadership of Nambia’s senior courts, which she said remained male-dominated.

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GSoD Indices Data 2012-2021

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
2 587 340
System of government
Presidential system
Head of government
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa (since 2015)
Head of government party
SWAPO Party of Namibia
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
44.2%
Women in upper chamber
14.3%
Last legislative election
2019
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
2.17
Head of state
President Hage Geingob
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
03/05/2021
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
80.92%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
State Party
in
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Attributes Over Time

Representative government neutral Representative Government
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Representative government neutral Fundamental rights
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Representative government neutral Checks on government
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Representative government neutral Impartial administration
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Representative government neutral Participatory engagement
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GSoD Indices

Regime type
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