Ex-deputy Chief Justice Butera elected full-time UN appeal tribunal judge

KAMPALA - Several individuals and organisations have congratulated Uganda's former deputy Chief Justice (CJ) Richard Butera on being elected with an overwhelming majority at the General Assembly as a full-time judge for the United Nations Appeal Tribunal (UNAT).

Butera becomes the first Ugandan to secure a seat on the UN's top administrative court.
Uganda's Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Uganda to the United Nations, Adonia Ayebare on November 17, 2025, congratulated Butera on getting the seven-year term, which is expected to start on July 1, 2026. 

"I have had the honour of leading the election of Ugandan Judges to [the] UN courts and tribunals".

Political analyst Andrew Mwenda also said it was 'a day to celebrate' Butera's election, while the African Union Mission to the UN also congratulated the former deputy CJ.

Information reaching New Vision Online indicates that Butera won the election by 110 votes and was elected alongside LingLing Zang from China, Greek judge Koutsopoulou and Zambian Constitutional Court Judge Martin Musaluke on November 17, 2025, in New York city.

Zhang Lingling, a Peking University alumna, was the only candidate from the Asia-Pacific region in this election. The university says she is a 2007 Master of Laws alumna of PKU Law School.  

UNAT, which was established by the General Assembly in 2009 as part of the new UN internal justice system, is the second-level appellate review tribunal within the internal justice system.

The tribunal reviews, within its specific jurisdiction, appeals against judgments rendered by the UN Dispute Tribunal, the Dispute Tribunal of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as well as appeals of decisions taken by the Standing Committee acting on behalf of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board (UNJSPB), and by those organisations, agencies and entities that accepted UNAT’s jurisdiction.

UNAT usually meets in session three times a year, in spring, summer and fall sessions, to render judgments.

The sessions are held in New York, Nairobi, or Geneva (at times at other locations).

UNAT consists of seven judge positions. The UNAT President usually designates three judge panels to decide each case.

However, under certain circumstances, a case may be heard by the entire UNAT bench. UNAT judgments are final and binding on the parties.