Leanne McKay is a Senior Justice Advisor at UNDP Crisis Bureau. She is a rule of law specialist and qualified lawyer with over 15 years’ experience in the fields of international law and development. She has extensive experience in the design, implementation, and management of rule of law and access to justice projects in fragile, conflict-affected, and transitioning settings across Asia, MENA, and Eastern Africa. She has worked for various international organizations including NRC, IDLO, and USIP, and her prior work with UNDP includes postings in North Darfur and Puntland, as well as assignments with RBAS and RSCA. A recognized trainer and facilitator, Leanne is skilled in the design and delivery of bespoke rule of law courses for development practitioners and justice and security stakeholders. She is an advisor and guide in strategy design, systems thinking, and adaptive approaches for justice and security programming, and an advocate for a transformative approach to rule of law promotion. Leanne authored a comprehensive practitioners' guide for promoting a rule of law culture in complex settings that was published by USIP in English, French, and Arabic. She holds an LLB and BA from Auckland University and an LLM from Melbourne University.


Leanne McKay will speak at the World Justice Forum's Partner Side Event Launch of the UNDP Justice Futures CoLab