Rowan Downing
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Rowan Downing, , an Australian
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
and international jurist, is a member of the international judiciary of the
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC; french: Chambres extraordinaires au sein des tribunaux cambodgiens (CETC); km, អង្គជំនុំជម្រះវិសាមញ្ញក្នុងតុលាការ ...
.


Biography

In 1971 Downing was awarded a Commonwealth Government Scholarship to study for a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts degrees. He was a resident of Ormond College from 1971 to 1975 and a tutor in law at Whitley College and the College of Legal Training from 1977 to 1980. He completed a Master of Laws degree in 1980 from the
Melbourne Law School Melbourne Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of the University of Melbourne. Located in Carlton, Victoria, Melbourne Law School is Australia's oldest law school, and offers J.D., LL.M, Ph.D, and LL.D degrees. In 2021-22, THE ...
. Downing is a senior Australian lawyer who has worked on aid projects since 1993. He was a judge of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal in
Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
from 1993 to 1995 as part of
AusAID Australian Aid is the brand name used to identify projects in developing countries supported by the Australian Government. As of 2014 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been responsible for Australia's official development ...
. During this period he provided continuing legal education courses to members of the legal profession and introduced new processes in the courts for the protection of women and children. Following this period he returned to the Victorian Bar where his practice included commercial law, company law, administrative law, employment law, finance and trade law, regulatory law, land law, criminal law, banking law and human rights law. He was frequently involved in commercial projects and administrative law, human resources and regulatory work for the
Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field office ...
, including an SME development project in the Lao PDR and a review of the employment and administrative law regulations of the Bank, as a staff consultant. He returned to Vanuatu in 1999 and was the Solicitor General until 2002. He established the Financial Intelligence Unit of Vanuatu and subsequently worked to establish like units in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
. He has advised the
State Bank of Vietnam The State Bank of Vietnam ( vi, Ngân hàng Nhà nước Việt Nam) is the central bank of Vietnam. It currently holds an about 65% stake of VietinBank - the country's largest listed bank by capital. History When Indochina was under French ...
and many donors in respect of the design of projects to assist the development of the legal sector in failed, conflicted and developing nations. In 2006 he took up a position as an international judge for the United Nations Assistance to the
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...
Tribunal (UNAKRT) at the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia, initially working half time and then from 2010, full-time. Prior to working full-time in Cambodia with the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, he maintained his practice and also worked on international aid projects in 14 countries. In December 2014, Rowan was voted by the UN General Assembly to the bench of th
United Nations Dispute Tribunal
in Geneva.


References

Australian King's Counsel Living people Khmer Rouge Tribunal judges Australian judges on the courts of Vanuatu Melbourne Law School alumni Australian judges of United Nations courts and tribunals Year of birth missing (living people) {{Australia-law-stub