UN:The UN General Assembly has unanimously confirmed South African judge Navanethem Pillay as its new human rights chief. Activist groups have urged her to be tough in her new post.
Born in 1941, Judge Pillay, who will succeed outspoken Canadian Louise Arbour, is a judge at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. She takes office on September 1st. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon welcomed Judge Pillay's confirmation yesterday by the assembly.
UN diplomats and officials said the United States had initially resisted the idea of appointing her due to concerns about her views on abortion and other issues but eventually agreed to drop its opposition.
UN Watch, a non-governmental human rights group that monitors the United Nations, said Judge Pillay would have to fend off increased threats to individual freedoms around the world. - (Reuters)