Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

High Commissioner for Human Rights

At the urging of the U.S. and other nations, the General Assembly established the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in 1993. The High Commissioner's mandate includes promotion and protection of human rights worldwide through direct contact with individual governments and the provision of technical assistance where appropriate. Holding the rank of Under Secretary General, the High Commissioner coordinates human rights activities throughout the United Nations system and supervises the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland.

The previous UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was Sergio Vieira de Mello who was killed in a bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, in August 2003. On February 20, 2004, Louise Arbour was appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; she took up position in Geneva on July 1, 2004 after she left her previous position as Canadian Supreme Court Justice.

United Nations Commissioners for Human Rights

• José Ayala-Lasso, Ecuador, 1994-1997
• Mary Robinson, Ireland, 1997-2002
• Sergio Vieira de Mello, Brazil, 2002-2003
• Louise Arbour, Canada, 2004-