Professor Ann Skelton, a renowned South African human rights lawyer with over 25 years of experience, is the Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as of May 8, 2023. She is a specialist in children's rights and has been instrumental in child law reform in South Africa, including significant contributions to the Child Justice Act and the Children's Act. Skelton has appeared as counsel arguing numerous landmark litigation cases on children’s rights, including 12 cases in the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Her academic qualifications include a BA and LLB from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a Doctor of Laws (LLD) from the University of Pretoria, and a Doctor of Laws (LLD) Honoris Causa from the University of Strathclyde.

In addition to her legal work, Skelton has a substantial academic career.  She is a Law Professor and holds the UNESCO Chair: Education Law at the University of Pretoria. She is also Professor of Law and holds the Chair in Children’s Rights in a Sustainable World at the University of Leiden, where she is the Programme Director of the Advanced Masters in International Children’s Rights. She also teaches a course on International Children’s Rights in the International Masters in Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford. Skelton is a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. Recognized for her global contributions to children's rights, she received the Honorary World's Children’s Prize in 2012, chaired the Advisory Board for the Global Study on Children Deprived of their Liberty which concluded, and chaired the expert group that drafted the Abidjan Principles on state’s obligations regarding public education and private education regulation.