Justice Oagile Key Dingake, who has had a distinguished career as a judge in Botswana and is now a judge in Papua New Guinea and Sierra Leone, will be giving a lecture at UCLA on gender discrimination in sexual and reproductive health rights. Justice Dingake received his LLB from the University of Botswana and LLM and PhD from universities in the UK and South Africa. He is recognized as a leading scholar in sexual and reproductive rights and has held prominent roles in judicial organizations in Africa focused on health, HIV/AIDS, and social justice. The introduction praised Justice Dingake for his progressive opinions on gender equality that have made him equivalent to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader

1. UCLA BIXBY CENTER ON POPULATION AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
FEBRUARY 4, 2019
INTRODUCTION BY DR. PAULA TAVROW
OF LECTURE BY JUSTICE OAGILE KEY DINGAKE ENTITLED:
“Gender Discrimination in Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights –
The Role of the Judiciary in Southern Africa”
It gives me great pleasure to welcome Justice Oagile Key Dingake to UCLA to give a Bixby lecture today
at UCLA.
Justice Dingake has had a distinguished career in Botswana, where for 15 years he served on the High
Court. Because of his progressive opinions in the areas of gender equality, I have told my students that
he is equivalent in Botswana to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the United States, who is now serves in
our country’s Supreme Court.
Justice Dingake received his PhD in Law from the University of Cape Town, an LLM from the University of
London, and an LLB from the University of Botswana. He has been recognized as a leading scholar by a
number of universities around the globe, particularly in the area of sexual and reproductive rights. He
has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pretoria, Cape Town and the James Cook
University in Australia.
In Africa, he has been recognized by his peers as a judicial leader. He was the Chairperson of the African
Centre for Justice Innovation, as well as the President of the Africa Judges Forum on HIV/TB and
Chairperson of the African Think Tank on HIV, Health and Social Justice.
Currently, he is serving as a Judge of the Supreme and National Courts of Papua New Guinea in the
Pacific, North of Australia. He is also a Judge of the Residual Special Court of Sierra Leone appointed by
the Secretary General of the United Nations in 2013.
We are very fortunate to have Justice Dingake here with us today and look forward to his lecture.
Thank you.