New U.n. Human Rights Commissioner

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New U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Brings Experience, Stature

(New York, February 20, 2004) - In nominating Louise Arbour today as the next

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations Secretary-General

Kofi Annan has chosen a skilled jurist and principled advocate, Human Rights

Watch said.

Currently a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Arbour served as the

Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia

and Rwanda from 1996 to 1999. Arbour was particularly effective in persuading

the international community to execute arrest warrants for war criminals

indicted by the tribunals.

"Justice Arbour is the embodiment of what is needed for this job," said

Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. "She combines the

human rights experience, international standing and moral stature needed to

confront the worst and most powerful abusers."

Arbour takes office at a particularly difficult moment for human rights

within the United Nations system. Around the world, human rights are being

assailed in the name of the international campaign against terrorism. The

U.N. Commission on Human Rights, the highest international body devoted to

human rights, has been plagued by a deepening crisis as it now counts some of

world's worst human rights abusers among its members. Meanwhile, the Office

of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights is still recovering from the

tragic death of its previous chief, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was killed in

the August 19 attack on U.N. headquarters in Baghdad.

"The U.N. human rights system could not hope for a better leader at a time

that it is under unprecedented attack," said Roth.

Human Rights Watch called on Arbour to make these challenges to human rights

a first priority during her tenure. In particular, she should press for the

creation of an independent mechanism-such as a U.N. special rapporteur- to

monitor how governments are using the fight against terrorism as an excuse to

undermine human rights worldwide.