Luladay Berhanu Mengistie

Work History

Advisor, WTO and AfCFTA Negotiation Coordination Unit

Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration

01.2025 - Current

Advise on Ethiopia's WTO accession and African Continental Free Trade Area implementation by leading strategic
coordination, inter-agency engagement, document preparation and negotiations.

AfCFTA Consultant (International)

International Trade Center

07.2024 - 11.2024

Manage all aspects of the ITC Shetrades AfCFTA Empowering women to trade program, including organizing online training sessions and policy dialogues on AfCFTA for women's business association and association members, preparing content for social media mobilization and engagement and monitoring and evaluating results.
Facilitating the establishment of Continental Network of Women's Business Association in the AfCFTA

Mo Ibrahim Leadership Fellow, Office of the Executive Director

International Trade Center

05.2023 - 05.2024

Led the logistics, briefing and on the ground engagement of the Executive Director's missions for G20, United Nations General Assembly, Inter African Trade Fair and the WTO Ministerial.
Initiated and led the streamlining of briefing tools and processes. Provided corporate training across the house.
Took over the management of a trade and food security project covering 6 African countries and strengthened partnership with FAO, the co-implementing agency. Key achievements include overseeing the delivery of four policy briefs on trade and four country-specific value chain analyses, and leading policy dialogues addressing the challenges and opportunities of leveraging the AfCFTA within targeted value chains.

Rules of Origin Expert

ASTOVE CONSEIL

07.2021 - 05.2023

Provided technical assistance to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) negotiations on outstanding rules of origin (RoO) and their implementation through preparing research and policy analysis, stakeholder consultation and convening high-level negotiations.
Provided the legal analysis that led to the unbracketing of outstanding rules of origin on Special Economic Zones under the AfCFTA.
Undertook technical analysis that led to the unbracketing of outstanding rules of origin in the textile and apparel sector under the AfCFTA.
Identified issues, analyzed information and provided solutions to problems.
Acted as a team leader in group projects, delegating tasks and providing feedback.
Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects.

Trade Expert (Regional Integration and Trade Division)

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)

10.2019 - 06.2021

Undertook research and analysis to produce papers, advisory notes, and briefings on different legal issues, particularly focusing on the AfCFTA.
Prepared briefings and facilitated discussions pertaining to the AfCFTA negotiation with different stakeholders including regional trade chambers.
Organized high-level corporate events including the third regional dialogue of the WTO.

National Consultant

UNWOMEN

03.2021 - 04.2021

Developed three gender sensitive and user-friendly set of factsheets on gender and political participation of women and gender responsive election process in the run up to the 2021 Ethiopian national election.

Intervention Manager, Garment (Labour market)

DAI-PEPE Project

07.2018 - 09.2019

Managed all aspects of the Industrial Park employee Sourcing and Screening project (HIPSTER), including the design of employee retention strategies for investors in industrial parks.
Managed the design and roll out of worker industrial orientation tools (audio visual curriculums) currently being used in industry parks across the country.
Managed the design and roll out of communications strategy to support government and firms in building relationships with the community.
Built and managed relationships with governmental counterparts, other donors and support programs.

Intervention Manager, Horticulture (Export market)

DAI-PEPE Project

06.2017 - 07.2018

Designed commercially viable and environmentally sustainable interventions that address prevailing market constraints in the horticulture sector of Ethiopia, particularly the export market.
Built relationships and created information sharing platforms for key stakeholders in the sector.

Václav Havel Human Rights Fellow

PERSEUS STRATEGIE

12.2016 - 03.2017

Conducted in-depth legal research into barriers to accessing justice in Myanmar and suggested ways forward.
Analyze the decisions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and highlight trends in decision-making.

Trafficking in Persons Research Fellow

American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative

06.2016 - 11.2016

Conducted in-depth legal research and analysis of laws and policies of sub-Saharan countries in over nine thematic areas with a view to identifying trafficking risks in global supply chains across sub-Saharan Africa.
Updated a human trafficking indicator database for the monitoring and evaluation department.

Research Assistant for Thomas Snider (Lecturer) & Aseel Barghuthi (legal associate)

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

10.2015 - 05.2016

Analyzed arbitral decisions passed on the issue of third-party participation in arbitral proceedings.

Protection Assistant

DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL

12.2014 - 07.2015

Facilitated trainings on gender, violence against women, international human rights, refugee and asylum laws.
Participated in the monitoring and evaluation processes of different projects and consolidate reports for donors and partners of the organization.
Ensured that programs are run in a manner compliant with the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership Standards.

Legal Clerk and Researcher

TADESSE KIROS LAW OFFICE

05.2014 - 10.2014

Serve as the lead focal person for non-profit organization clients.
Managed accounts and client records of clients, observing confidentiality, and extreme discretion.
Responded to client inquiries, providing accurate legal advice and offering assistance.
Revised and finalized letters, briefs, and memos.
Researched and analyzed legal issues and cases to provide accurate advice to clients.

Project Associate for the Africa and ICC Project

UNITED STATES NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

03.2014 - 06.2014

Research and compile reports on controversies surrounding Africa and the ICC, within the context of the justice versus peace debate.

Project Assistant for the African Law Library Project

THE ETHIOPIAN JUSTICE AND LEGAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH INSTITUTE AND AFRICAN INNOVATION FOUNDATION

10.2013 - 06.2014

Translated cases and compile documents for the Ethiopian Law database, for the African Law Library.
Member of the working group for the publication of the first volume on selected Federal Cassation Decisions and Ethiopian Law Index (1995-2012), available at http://www.africanlawlibrary.net/documents/12260431/17511724/Etlex_Volume1.pdf

Researcher and Data Collector

BKP DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH AND CONSULTING GMBH

10.2013 - 02.2014

Undertook ease of doing business in Ethiopia research.

Summary

Overview

Work History

Advisor, WTO and AfCFTA Negotiation Coordination Unit

AfCFTA Consultant (International)

Mo Ibrahim Leadership Fellow, Office of the Executive Director

Rules of Origin Expert

Trade Expert (Regional Integration and Trade Division)

National Consultant

Intervention Manager, Garment (Labour market)

Intervention Manager, Horticulture (Export market)

Václav Havel Human Rights Fellow

Trafficking in Persons Research Fellow

Research Assistant for Thomas Snider (Lecturer) & Aseel Barghuthi (legal associate)

Protection Assistant

Legal Clerk and Researcher

Project Associate for the Africa and ICC Project

Project Assistant for the African Law Library Project

Researcher and Data Collector

Education

LLM - International And Comparative Law

LLB - Law

Skills

Certification

Timeline

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