Francis teaches Law at Columbia University Law, Judge at the World Bank Administrative Tribunal and Member Panel of the ICSID Arbitrators. He is the Chairperson of the IIJD Advisory Council.

Mr. Ssekandi has over 35 years of legal practice in various common law and civil law jurisdictions. He has served as Attorney and International Legal in the areas of international project finance, international commercial law, international law and legal and judicial reform, as well as significant experience in adjudication, arbitration, mediation, civil conflict resolution and peacekeeping.

Francis Ssekandi became a Judge of the High Court of Uganda in 1974 and later Justice of Appeal of the currently renamed Supreme Court of Uganda.

Mr. Ssekandi joined the United Nations in 1981 and was a principal legal advisor to the United Nations development programs and was also in charge of the commercial law cluster resolving commercial disputes with the United Nations.

He served over 19 years in the international civil service, as Deputy Director in the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations, Director, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General in Liberia, and General Counsel of the African Development Bank. He negotiated several technical cooperation agreements with governments and initiated many innovative institutional legal models for the delivery of UN programs, including the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the African Management Services Company (AMSCO), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Compensation Commission after the 1991 Iraq war. He completed a project for legal and judicial reform of the justice sector for the Government of Rwanda, prepared and negotiated Technical Cooperation Agreements for the Government of Timor Leste (East Timor), as a UNDP International Consultant.

In 1996 he became Deputy to the Secretary General's Special Representative in Liberia, in charge of peacekeeping operations there. In 1997 he was appointed General Counsel of the African Development Bank where he was the anchor for the institutional reforms carried out by President Omar Kabbaj, including revision of the Bank's Charter to incorporate new voting rights for shareholders, and establishment of an Administrative Tribunal to judge staff disputes. he is a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia University, and is Admitted to the Uganda Bar, the New York Bar, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He serves on the Boards of the IIRR, plays soccer, the ABA/UNDP Resources Centre and the Centre for Peace/War Studies. Published articles and Edited and updated Elias’ New Horizons in International Law

Mr. Francis M. Ssekandi graduated in 1965 with LL.B (Hons) from London and obtained his LL.M from Columbia University in 1966. Francis Ssekandi is Professor of law, Columbia University School of Law,Judge, World Bank Administrative Tribunal and Member Panel of ICSID Arbitrators. He seats at the Board of Directors of the Center for War/Peace Studies. He is the Chairperson of the IIJD Advisory Council.