Interview with Louise Arbour for International Migrant's Day

Louise Arbour is the current High Commissioner for Human Rights appointed by the Secretary-General and approved by the General Assembly, effective 1 July 2004*.

Interview by December 18 with Louise Arbour for International Migrant's Day

1) Over the past year, we have seen an increased interest in the migration debate, culminating with the U.N. High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, last September in New York. What role do you see for the O.H.C.H.R. in this debate?

Our role is to ensure that the human rights perspective is also borne in mind. The debate on migration is dominated by economic parameters on the one hand and considerations around border controls on the other. Meanwhile, migrants continue to suffer and be exposed to human rights violations in all spheres. So it is fundamental to promote a human rights approach to migration.

We participated actively in the preparation of the High Level Dialogue, preparing such documents as the paper “Migration and Development: a Human Rights Approach”.

I believe that thanks to the role we played in the preparation of the Dialogue, as well as OHCHR’ active participation in the international institutional framework on migration, in particular within the Global Migration Group, we are increasingly regarded as playing a leading role in the promotion of a human rights to approach to migration.

We have to build on the momentum created by the High Level Dialogue and strengthen even more OHCHR’s role.

2) In your opinion, what are the three main challenges facing a more universal recognition of migrants’ human rights? And how do you think these should/can be tackled and at what level?

One important challenge is the lack of adherence to international standards. The most elaborate framework for States to deal with migration issues in full respect of the human rights of migrants is the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. This Convention is the first international instrument.....

The whole interview is availabe to download in English, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian (see also at the end of this page).

*Louise Arbour was appointed High Commissioner for Human Rights by the Secretary-General and approved by the General Assembly, effective 1 July 2004.

Ms. Arbour, a Canadian national, began a distinguished academic career in 1970, culminating in the positions of Associate Professor and Associate Dean at the Osgood Hall Law School of York University in Toronto, Canada, in 1987. In December of 1987, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Ontario (High Court of Justice) and in 1990 she was appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario. In 1995, Ms. Arbour was appointed by Order-in-Council as single Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into certain events at the Prisons for Women in Kingston, Ontario.

In 1996, she was appointed by the Security Council of the United Nations as Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda. After three years as Prosecutor, she resigned to take up an appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Ms. Arbour graduated from College Regina Assumpta, Montreal in 1967 and completed an LL.L (with distinction) from the Faculty of Law, University of Montreal in 1970. Following the Quebec Bar Admission Course, she was called to the Quebec Bar in 1971 and the Ontario Bar in 1977. Ms. Arbour has received honorary doctorates from twenty-seven Universities and numerous medals and awards. She is a member of many distinguished professional societies and organizations and has served on the boards of many others. She has published extensively on criminal law and given innumerable addresses on both national and international criminal law.

Ms. Arbour was born in Montreal, Quebec and has three children. She is fluent in French and English

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