Dunja Mijatović takes up office as Council of Europe Commissioner for H.R.

She is the first woman to hold this post, succeeding Nils Muižnieks (2012-2018). She will “react rapidly and effectively to protect people’s human rights”. Wishes from Ossigeno 

On 3 April 2018, in Strasbourg, Dunja Mijatović takes up the post of Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. National of Bosnia and Herzegovina, she has been elected last January by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. She is the first woman to hold this post, succeeding Nils Muižnieks (2012-2018), Thomas Hammarberg (2006-2012) and Alvaro Gil-Robles (1999-2006).

These are her first statements:

“I intend to keep the legacy of the previous Commissioners’ work and maintain the ability of this institution to react rapidly and effectively to protect people’s human rights. My view is that human rights are indeed universal and that no country is beyond scrutiny.

“In terms of priorities, my vision is simple. In a word, it is: implementation. Norms, resolutions, treaties are there to guide us. Yes, we do need political will to make sure they are realised. But this is not a matter only for governments. We must engage our societies at large in their implementation and involve everyone in a dialogue on human rights. It is paramount that we achieve a recommitment to and a reaffirmation of human rights for all, and bring back trust in their importance for the well-being of each and every person.

“I look forward to cooperating with governments, national authorities, international organisations, human rights defenders, journalists, NGOs, and human rights structures.”

Ossigeno per l’Informazione congratulates the new Commissioner for Human Rights, wishes her a successful job, and hopes to meet her soon to discuss about the defense of the freedom of expression and the right to information, a theme to which she has dedicated her best efforts, in the previous position of Representative for Freedom of the OSCE media, helping the Italian watchdog to shine the light on the western and european side of the problem.

ASP