Research Associate

Felix Maonera, Embassy of Zimbabwe, Pretoria-South Africa

Mr. Maonera, a Zimbabwean national, is the Deputy Ambassador of Zimbabwe to South Africa and the head of mission responsible for bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and South Africa as well as other political and administrative issues. He is also an Associate at the Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa (TRALAC). Before his appointment as Deputy Ambassador, he worked as the Deputy Divisional Head of Multilateral Affairs (Economic) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Zimbabwe; and as Minister Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Zimbabwe in Geneva where, among other portfolios he was the chief negotiator on TRIPS, the African Group focal point on TRIPS as well as the negotiator on dispute settlement, regional trade agreements and WIPO matters. During his time in Geneva he played an instrumental role in the processes leading to a number of milestones in the WTO including the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health and subsequent decisions including the amendment to the TRIPS Agreement to address the problem faced by WTO Members without manufacturing capacity in the pharmaceutical sector in using compulsory licensing as a public health policy tool. Prior to his posting to Geneva, he had held a number of other positions in the Zimbabwean Ministry of Foreign affairs covering a range of issues from trade to human rights.

Mr. Maonera who is the author of a number of studies and papers on intellectual property, WTO jurisprudence, trade in services and special and differential treatment (S&DT) in WTO law, holds a Masters of Law (LL.M) degree in Intellectual Property Law from the University of South Africa, a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) degree from the University of Zimbabwe and a Diploma in Law and Organization for Development. He has also undertaken a number of professional and technical courses including in diplomacy, WTO Negotiations, international human rights law and refugee law.