Indian-origin judge confirmed as new U.N. human rights chief

United Nations, July 30 (PTI) Harvard-educated Indian origin judge Navanethem Pillay is the new U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights after the General Assembly votedunanimously to confirm her nomination to the sensitive post.

Pillay, 67, who is from South Africa, will succeedLouise Arbour of Canada who completed her term June 30.

Pillay, who was formally nominated to the post by U.N.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week, will assume her newpost September one for a four-year term.

Welcoming Pillay's appointment Monday, Ban said he was "gratified" that his nomination of Pillay as Arbour's successor has been endorsed by the General Assembly." Pillay is serving as a judge on the International Criminal Court (I.C.C.) in the Hague since 2003. She had earlier served both as judge and president on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda which she hadjoined in 1995.

The job of human rights commissioner is both high profile and controversial as member States are very sensitiveto their respective records.

Born into an ethnic Tamil family during apartheid days she was brought up in a poor neighbourhood and had the tasteof discrimination.

Despite odds, she became the first woman to start law practice in South Africa's Natal Province in 1968 and defended several anti-apartheid activists and successfully fought for the right of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, tohave access to lawyers.

In 1992, she co-founded Equality Now which works women's rights across the world. In 2003 she received the inaugural Gruber Prize for Women's Rights. PTI DS