The Indian-Origin South African judge Navanetham Pillay made the nation proud with her commendable achievement when she was appointed as the new UN High Commissioner of Human Rights by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
She will be the successor of Louise Arbour of Canada who completed her 5 year term on 30th June.
As told Ban's Spokesperson Michele Montas, the decision of appointing Pillay for the high profile job of Human Rights Commissioner was taken after “an extensive selection process” which included consultations with member states and with broad-based non-governmental organisations.
Pillay's appointment for a four-year term will be confirmed on Monday by the 192-member General Assembly. It was after Arbour expressed her denial in continuing at the post for a second term that the hunt for a new human rights commissioner started.
Pillay was born in 1941 in Durban in an ethnic Tamil family during apartheid days. She experienced a tough childhood in poverty as well as discrimination. Her father was a bus driver.
She was the first woman to start a law practice in Natal Province in 1967. She acted as defence attorney for many anti-apartheid activists and trade unionists, including her own husband. In 1973, she brought a successful application against the officer commanding Robben Island Prison which enabled political prisoners – including Nelson Mandela – to have access to lawyers.
Because of her controversial views on abortion and some other issues as also South Africa's opposition to impose sanction on Zimbabwe, she faced an opposition on her nomination by US, said some officials and diplomats at the UN. But finally got the go ahead which led UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-moon to announce the appointment on Thursday.
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