UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISION
PROFILE in
2002
SERGIO
VIEIRA de MELLO
Nominee
for Human Rights Commissioner, UN.
In
the year 2002.
March
1948 – August 2003.
55 Years Old. Brazilian
Born
in Reo de Janeiro.
Doctorate
in Philosophy and Humanities at Sorbonne, Paris. Educated in Brazil and Paris
Employed
by the United Nations since 1969.
Previous post: Under-Secretary-General
for Humanitarian Affairs, U.N.
For
2 yrs until May 2002 headed up the transitional government into East-Timor,
overseeing the transition to independence.
The
UN praised the mission as ‘one of the
most successful’.
Left
Timor on May 20, 2002.
Subsequently
Nominated and Announced by Kofi Annan to succeed the Irish President Mary
Robinson as the New High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mary Robinson had held
the office since 1997.
The
Post was confirmed on July 23, 2002.
The
Appointment to UNHRC begins
September 12, 2002.
The
term is for four years.
PREVIOUS POSTS
He has been with the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees since 1969, culminating in his appointment as United
Nations Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees in January 1996. He has extensive
Headquarters and field experience in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations,
including Bangladesh, Sudan, Cyprus, Mozambique, Peru and Lebanon. Mr. Vieira
de Mello has also served as Special Envoy for the United Nations High
Commissioner for
Refugees for Cambodia, Director of Repatriation for the United Nations
Transitional Authority in Cambodia- Director of mine clearance- (UNTAC), Head
of Civil Affairs of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), as well as
United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Great Lakes region of
Africa.
·
UN Mission
Transitional Administrator-East Timor.
·
Special
representative of the Secretary-General in Kosovo.
·
Headquarters:
Office Coordination (under secretary-general) of Humanitarian Affairs. As well
as Emergency Relief
Co-ordinator. 1998.
·
Deputy
Commissioner for Refugees. 1996.
·
Cambodia-Director
of Mine clearance. 1990.
·
Lebanon-Political
advisor to UN peace-keepers.
·
Bosnia:
Political advisor to UN peace-keepers
·
Yugoslavia
·
Switzerland
PERSONAL COMMENTS
“I’ve had 32 yrs of dealing with complex
situations”. He had said on his appointment to a job he described as ‘a
Political Minefield’.
My
father was a Brazilian Diplomat. I am fluent in French, English, Spanish Italian
as well as my native Portuguese.
Mr. Vieira de Mello studied
in Brazil and France, receiving a doctorate from the University of Paris
(Panthéon-Sorbonne). Born on 15 March 1948, he is married and has two sons.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International (and
the AI Secretary-General) have welcomed my appointment. As does the US, Denmark
and the EU, as well as Britain.
HIS NEW DEPARTMENT: the UNHRC.
UNHRC Post has been in existence
since 1994.
The Office of the United Nations Human Rights
Commission has a budget of $50 million
dollars and employs about 200 people. ‘We run technical assistance programs in
50 countries to advise governments on assistance for training Army’s and
Police’.
MISSION STATEMENT AND
MANDATES
The Commissioner of the UNHR Organ, holds the chief
responsibility for the operation of the department to achieve the stated aims
of the department; to better the rights of suffering people throughout the
world. The Commissioner will operate inter-departmentally to achieve these
goals, using the entire body of the United Nations to achieve the objective.
The objective will be; in part, to implement
universally accepted conventions, mandates and treaties that are universally
recognized as Human Rights.
There
is a commitment to the strengthening of the programme and also to providing
treaty monitoring bodies that are reinforced with the highest quality support
and personnel.
The Office of the UNHRC is devoted and committed to
the advancement and protection of Humanitarian Rights throughout the world, and
does not discriminate on the basis of Biology, Nationality or Religious belief.
It is subject to the guiding rules, conventions
statutes and laws that are used by the UN itself; to function as an
organisation of the UN. The intended aim of the UNHRC is the
universal
ratification of Human Rights treaties. This is a stated aim; to create a
Human-rights based legislative approach to global development. This will be
achieved by the UN negotiating with Governments,
Organisations, International bodies and Non-Government Organisations as well as
the Global Populace.
The Office will; in all locations, attempt either to
reinforce or establish institutions that have the charter to improve and assist
in the making and enforcing of Human
Rights objectives.
The
Office operates on the principle that human rights are ‘rightful’, they are
global, universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. All
rights that are civil, cultural, economic, political and social – are to be
given equal emphasis; promoted and protected without any discrimination. The
realization and enjoyment of all rights for Women and Men must be ensured on a
basis of gender equality.
The
UNHRC encourages Governments to pursue Human Rights.
THE COMMISIONER
The High Commissioner for Human Rights is the United Nations official
with principal responsibility for United Nations human rights activities, under
the direction and authority of the Secretary-General and within the framework
of the overall competence, authority and decisions of the General Assembly, the
Economic and Social Council and the Commission on Human Rights. The High Commissioner
is appointed by the Secretary-General with the approval of the General
Assembly, due regard being paid to geographical rotation, for a fixed term of
four years with the possibility of renewal for a further term of four years.
The commissioner will advise the Secretary-general with all aspects of
Rights policies, activities and impending issues. He is to ensure that UN
infrastructure is adequately supplied with current detail that pertains to the
field of Human Rights. The commissioner has an administrative assistant. The
assistant is Deputy. The Deputy carries out substantive and administrative
duty’s in the absence of the commissioner within the office, and as directed by
the Secretary-General.
1.
1. Be
accountable to the Secretary-General.
2.
2. Will act
and be guided by instruction from the General Assembly and be accountable
hereto.
3.
3. Protect
and promote Human Rights activities.
4.
4. Improve
and enhance the HR concept within the UN.
5.
5. Propagate
on a global basis the HR concept.
6. 6. Personally engage Governments to espouse the HR
concept.
7. 7. Make all attempts physically possible to prevent or
block ANY act of HR abuse.
8. 8. Enact education programs that will teach HR.
9. 9. Assist any Nation or Nation-state that asks for HR infrastructure.
10. 10.
Promote:- Political, Social, Religious, Economic,
Cultural, Civil, Personal, Intellectual and Gender RIGHTS.