Justice Leila Zerrougui is the former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (January 2018-February 2021).

She was Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (2012-2017). In this capacity, she served as an independent advocate to build awareness and give prominence to the rights and protection of boys and girls affected by armed conflict.

She was a member of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention under the United Nations Human Rights Council from 2001 and served as the Working Group’s Chairperson-Rapporteur 2003 until 2008. Prior to this, she had a long career in the Algerian judiciary and, in 2000, was appointed to the Algerian Supreme Court.

From 1998 to 2000, she served as legal adviser to the Cabinet of the Ministry of Justice and from 2000 to 2008, as legal adviser to the Cabinet of the President of Algeria. She also worked in various positions within the Algerian government and was a member of the Algerian National Commission on the Reform of the Judiciary.

Justice Zerrougui has held various academic positions at law schools in Algeria and was associate professor of L’Ecole Supérieure de la Magistrature (Algiers).