Brazilian Mr Sergio Vieira de Mello has officially taken over from Mrs Mary Robinson as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
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The new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira De Mello. De Mello took over the U.N. human rights hot seat on Thursday under pressure from activists to match his outspoken predecessor and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, in defending fundamental freedoms.
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Mr de Mello (54) has spent his career working for the United Nations and has considerable experience on the ground, including stints in Timor, Bosnia and Africa's Great Lakes region.
"Mrs Robinson will be a hard act to follow. She has placed the protection of human rights, her mandate, before political interests," Amnesty International said.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Mr de Mello needed to "hit the ground running" to avoid the gains in human rights made over the past decade being eroded or lost.
Mr Joanna Weschler of HRW said Mr de Mello must show "strong and principled leadership at a time the UN human rights system and international law are under attack".
AFP