Issue 85: The Nomination of Sergio Vieira de Mello

News: On 23 July, the UN General Assembly approved UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s nomination of Sergio Vieira de Mello for the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights.  He replaces Mary Robinson, who has headed the agency for five years.

Analysis: In an interview with Reuters, Vieira de Mello likened the position of High Commissioner to a “minefield,” drawing attention to “the risk of politicization and how to manage that, how to ensure that human rights are not over politicized.”

The 54 year-old Brazilian diplomat brings 33 years of UN experience to his new post.  Most recently he led the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), to which the Security Council granted “overall responsibility for the administration of East Timor [with] all legislative and executive authority, including the administration of justice.”  Prior to East Timor, he was the UN’s Special Representative in Kosovo.

At UN headquarters, Vieira de Mello served as Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN emergency relief coordinator.  He also has extensive field experience with postings in Bangladesh, Sudan, Mozambique and Peru with the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees.  Within that agency he rose to become the Assistant High Commissioner.  Vieira de Mello is fluent in five languages and holds doctorate degrees in philosophy and social sciences.

Commenting on Vieira de Mello’s nomination, British Ambassador to the UN Jeremy Greenstock said:

“He has wide experience with all kinds of work in the United Nations and considerable experience in the work of human rights on the ground in a number of missions. His judgment, his competence, his energy are all documented and therefore I think he is going to prove to be an excellent successor to the current high commissioner.”

Speaking to The Washington Post, former US ambassador to the UN, Richard Holbrooke, praised Annan’s choice: “I think Sergio is much better than Mary Robinson.  I think she overly politicized the job.”

Vieira de Mello’s term begins on 12 September.  He will be the third High Commissioner, after Mary Robinson and Jose Ayala-Lasso of Ecuador.

UN Watch