U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has nominated former U.N. Transitional Administration in East Timor head Sergio Vieira de Mello to succeed Mary Robinson as the next U.N. high commissioner for human rights, the United Nations announced yesterday (U.N. release, July 22).

If his nomination is approved by the General Assembly, Vieira de Mello, who began his U.N. career with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in 1969 and has served as Annan's special representative for Kosovo and as U.N. undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, will become only the second Latin American to hold the top U.N. human rights position and the highest-ranking ever U.N. official from Brazil, O Estado de Sao Paulo reports (Jamil Chade, July 23, UN Wire translation).  If approved tomorrow, Vieira de Mello will begin a four-year term on Sept. 12 following the end of Robinson's term on Sept. 11 (U.N. release).

Vieira de Mello's nomination is being hailed as a marked change and a "calculated move" by Annan, the Washington Times reports.  Well-liked and known as a "fixer," Vieira de Mello won his nomination over other candidates, including former Philippine President Corazon Aquino, former Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan and Polish dissident Bronislaw Geremek (John Zarocostas, Washington Times, July 23).  According to O Estado, U.S. approval of Vieira de Mello's nomination is being seen by diplomats of a reaffirmation of an accord between Brazil and the United States that sealed the U.S. effort to depose fellow Brazilian Jose Mauricio Bustani as head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons three months ago (Chade, O Estado de Sao Paulo).

"His judgment, his competence, his energy are all documented and therefore I think he is going to prove to be an excellent successor to the current high commissioner," said British U.N. Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock.  "His East Timor role, where the U.N. was successful and human rights protection was at the core of its mandate, gives him a real base of credibility in the human rights area," added another diplomat (Carola Hoyos, Financial Times, July 22).  One Asian diplomat called him "a silver-tongued person, liked by everybody."

According to the Washington Times, Vieira de Mello, who is considered part of Annan's inner circle, is a diplomatic choice that aims to repair the tense relations Robinson had with major U.N. powers such as the United States and Russia over sensitive issues including Chechnya, the Middle East and the treatment of al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners under U.S. custody. 

While human rights groups have cautiously welcomed his appointment, the Times reports that some experts are concerned Vieira de Mello may play down issues that Robinson made prominent, such as the fight against racism and the promotion of social and economic rights.  "We're pretty happy," said a human rights advocate with an international nongovernmental organization.  "He was definitely the best compared with the rest of the lineup.  But Robinson will be a hard act to follow" (Zarocostas, Washington Times). 

"De Mello brings to the job an impressive diplomatic and U.N. background, but he lacks hands-on human rights experience," said Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth in a statement released by the organization yesterday.  "The challenge he faces is to prove that he will stand up to governments and be an unwavering voice on behalf of the victims of human rights abuse" (Human Rights Watch release, July 22).

In statements to the Jornal do Brasil, Vieira de Mello said he was "honored" by Annan's choice to nominate him and said he hoped he was up to the "complex and delicate job."  The 53-year old Brazilian, who has served in emergency and post-conflict situations in Bangladesh, Sudan, Cyprus, Cambodia, Mozambique, Lebanon, Rwanda and Bosnia, also affirmed that he would not seek to "politicize" the debate over human rights in his new position if his nomination is approved tomorrow (Jornal do Brasil, July 23, UN Wire translation).  "The position is a real minefield," he said yesterday.  "But my life has been a series of minefields.  And real ones," he added (Folha de Sao Paulo, July 23, UN Wire translation).

To read a feature in Portuguese from the Correio Braziliense about Vieira de Mello and the challenges he faces in his new position if his nomination is approved, click here.