ASSEMBLY APPROVES APPOINTMENT OF SERGIO VIEIRA DE MELLO AS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

24.07.02

The General Assembly approved yesterday afternoon in New York the appointment of Sergio Vieira de Mello (Brazil) as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for four years beginning on 12 September.
Mr. Vieira de Mello's appointment, said Brazil's representative, augured well for the continuation of outstanding United Nations work in promoting and protecting human rights. His important achievements in East Timor and at the helm of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were only the latest examples in a long career devoted to the realization of values enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
He also praised Mary Robinson for the invaluable work she had done as High Commissioner for Human Rights. During her five years in office, she had helped to heighten awareness of the plight of victims of abuses and human rights violations.
The representatives of Denmark (on behalf of the European Union and associated States) and the United States also paid tribute to Mr. Vieira de Mello and to outgoing High Commissioner Mary Robinson.
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