"As my term as High Commissioner draws to a close, this Council's milestone 50th session will be the last which I brief," Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council as it opened a four-week sitting.
She provided no explanation for her decision.
The 70-year-old former Chilean president, who will wrap up her four-year mandate at the end of August, had until now remained mum about whether she would seek to stay on for a second term.
Speculation has been rife for months, with a wide range of diplomats in Geneva telling AFP in recent weeks that she had yet to provide clues to her plans.
The post of High Commissioner for Human Rights typically faces heavy political pressure from countries around the world, and while it can be held for a maximum of two terms, nearly all of Bachelet's predecessors have avoided staying on for more than one term.
Discrete diplomacy
Bachelet has faced mounting criticism from countries and NGOs for not speaking out more forcefully against allegations of widespread rights abuses in some countries.
When she was appointed in 2018 by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, it was clear she was meant to mark a break with the repeated declarations of outrage by her very outspoken predecessor Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein of Jordan.
Bachelet, who went from torture victim under Augusto Pinochet to become the first woman to serve as president of Chile, has instead emphasized the importance of dialogue and discrete diplomacy in forwarding rights in various countries.
No comments :
Post a Comment
Only News