Bachelet appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday confirmed the appointment of former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet as High Commissioner for Human Rights, reports Reuters.

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Michelle Bachelet (66) is set to replace Jordanian Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in this role on September 1, a fierce critic of US President Donald Trump.

The decision was made by consensus by the General Assembly, which represents 193 UN member countries.

The hall erupted in applause when General Assembly President Miroslav Lajčak officially announced the result.

“She takes office at a time that has serious consequences for human rights,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to reporters, just minutes after the confirmation of the appointment announced on Wednesday.

Calling the US president “dangerous” and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban a “racist,” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein often sparked controversy and thus lost support from some influential countries.

Bachelet, the daughter of a general who opposed Augusto Pinochet’s regime, was the first president of the UN Women agency established in 2010, which promotes gender equality.

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A socialist and a pediatrician by profession, she was the first president of Chile, serving from 2006 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2018.