The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has elected the Irish human rights lawyer Michael O’Flaherty as the fifth Commissioner for Human Rights, following Dunja Mijatović (2018-2024). The previous Commissioners were Nils Muižnieks (2012-2018), Thomas Hammarberg (2006-2012), and Alvaro Gil-Robles (1999-2006).
The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent and impartial non-judicial institution established in 1999 with the objective of fostering awareness of and respect for human rights in the Council’s 46 member states. Its activities are concentrated in three main areas:• country visits and dialogue with national authorities and civil society;• thematic studies and advice on systematic human rights work;• awareness-raising activities.
The election for the new Commissioner took place in Strasbourg during a plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The process commenced in October with the submission of candidacies and the subsequent selection by the Committee of Ministers of three candidates for the post: the Austrian candidate Manfred Nowak, the Bulgarian candidate Meglena Kuneva, and the Irish candidate Michael O’Flaherty.
The Parliamentary Assembly has conducted a secret ballot to determine which of the three candidates will succeed Dunja Mijatović as Human Rights Commissioner for the next six years. Mr. Michael O’Flaherty has been elected as the new Human Rights Commissioner, with his mandate commencing on April 1, 2024.
Know more
The Council of Europe
https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal
The CoE Commissioner for Human Rights
https://www.coe.int/ca/web/commissioner/home
January 2024