Dr. Yacouba Cissé

Dr. Yacouba Cissé is currently a member of the United Nations International Law Commission, Ambassador of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire to the Republic of Austria and Permanent Representative of Côte d'Ivoire to the United Nations Office and others International Organizations in Vienna. He is an expert in the international law of maritime boundary delimitation and other law of the sea issues, with numerous publications to his credit in this field.

He holds a bachelor's degree and a master’s degree in public international law from the University of Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire). He also holds a master's degree in science and management of maritime affairs from the University of Rimouski in Quebec and a doctorate in law from the University of Ottawa (Canada) with congratulations from the jury and the Paris Bar Prize. ​ Dr. Cissé is a member of the Abidjan Bar and was Director of the International Civil Service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Côte d'Ivoire. ​

As a member of the United Nations International Law Commission, he is a member of the Study Group set up by the Commission to address the issue of sea-level rise and its implications for international law. He is the Special Rapporteur on ‘Prevention and repression of maritime piracy and armed robbery at sea’. This subject is part of the Commission's long-term programme and received broad support from delegates attending the Sixth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. ​

He currently chairs the Group of the Francophone Ambassadors (GAF) accredited to Vienna, Austria.