United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Claudia Fuentes Julio of Chile as Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and Head of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in New York.

She will succeed Ilze Brands Kehris from Latvia, to whom the Secretary-General and High Commissioner for Human Rights are deeply grateful for her contribution to the Organization, having contributed to ensuring a solid anchoring of the human rights pillar within the United Nations, in particular as it relates to the peace and security and the development pillars.

The Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights leads the New York office of OHCHR, advising and representing the High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York-based forums.

Ms. Fuentes Julio, who is currently the Permanent Representative of Chile to the UN and other International Organizations in Geneva, brings more than two decades of experience in international relations, multilateral diplomacy and human rights.

She has held several senior leadership positions, including Vice-President of the Human Rights Council; Chair of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO); Chair of Alliance 8.7 for the eradication of forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking, and child labour; and Co-Chair of the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. She has also chaired the ILO Committee on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and served on the Human Rights Council Consultative Group, the Global Board of the International Gender Champions, and the Geneva Human Rights Platform Advisory Board.

Ms. Fuentes Julio has taught at universities in the United States, Chile and Brazil, and was an Associate Researcher at FLACSO Chile. Her scholarly work on conflict resolution, gender equality and human rights has been widely published.

She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in international studies from the University of Denver, United States; a Master of Arts in international relations from the University of Kent, United Kingdom; and a bachelor's degree in mass communication and journalism from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile.

Along with her native Spanish, she is fluent in English.