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Reuters
UNITED NATIONS
The United Nations General Assembly approved on Friday the appointment of former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet as the world body's new human rights chief.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Bachelet on Wednesday. She will replace Jordan's Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, who is stepping down at the end of the month after a four-year term in the Geneva-based job.
Guterres said Bachelet will take office"at a time of grave consequence for human rights."
"Hatred and inequality are on the rise. Respect for international humanitarian and human rights law is on the decline. Space for civil society is shrinking. Press freedoms are under pressure,"he told reporters on Friday. Bachelet, who was tortured under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, was the first woman to be president of Chile, one of the region's most developed economies.
A former pediatrician, Bachelet first served as president from 2006 to 2010, and was popular for her government's welfare policies and steady economic growth during her tenure.
Bachelet then led UN Women, which supports gender equality and the empowerment of women, between 2010 and 2013. She returned to Chile and served again as president from 2014 to March this year.
