Francesca Paola Albanese is an Italian legal scholar and human rights expert born on March 30, 1977, in Italy. She holds a law degree with honors from the University of Pisa and has over 20 years of experience in international law, specializing in human rights and the Middle East. Prior to her prominent UN role, she worked with United Nations agencies including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). On May 1, 2022, Albanese was appointed as the first woman to serve as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, initially for a three-year term. In April 2025, she was confirmed for another three-year term. As an independent expert, she has focused on documenting human rights issues in the occupied territories. Albanese has faced significant controversy, including adversarial relations with Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has smeared her, and criticism from the United States, where she has been described as reviled in some media reports.