Appointment of new high commissioner for human rights

The UN Secretary-General today announced his intention to appoint Navanethem Pillay as the new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Navanethem Pillay is a South African citizen, and takes over the post from Louise Arbour of Canada.

- This is an extremely important appointment. Today, 60 years after the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we see that human rights continue to be under threat in many countries and many situations. The UN therefore needs a clear and unambiguous voice that can promote human rights and call attention to human rights violations all over the world. Navanethem Pillay has shown that she has the qualities required to carry out this task. She is courageous, independent, and has a very strong professional background. I am therefore delighted with today’s announcement, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre commented.

Navanethem Pillay is currently a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. She has previously been President of the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), and has had a long career as a human rights defender and lawyer in South Africa. In 1967 she was the first woman to set up her own law practice in Natal Province, South Africa, and she defended many opponents of apartheid. Both as a human rights defender and as a judge she has contributed to defining the use of rape in war and conflict as a war crime.

Foreign Minister Støres letter of congratulations on the appointment  (pdf)