The APT welcomes the appointment of former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, as the next United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
As a torture survivor who had to go into exile, former Head of State (2006-2010 and 2014-2018) and first Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet’s personal and professional experiences place her in a unique position to lead the Office of the High Comissioner for Human Rights and further strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights across the world. Her deep commitment to human rights for all and to fighting gender-based violence, including gender dimensions of torture, will be instrumental in the implementation of her Office’s new Management Plan.
“The APT has had the privilege to cooperate with Michelle Bachelet, who has always been an ally to the cause of preventing torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Her strong voice will be key to ensuring that victims are listened to and that prevention of human rights violations are central to any state policies. We look forward to working with her in her new role as High Commissioner,” said APT Secretary General Barbara Bernath.
Michelle Bachelet will be the seventh High Comissioner since the Office was created in 1993 and will succeed His Excellency Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, whose mandate ends on 31 August 2018.
