Dozens of international human rights organizations have called for the appointment of a "courageous" successor to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, in order to confront human rights violations committed by powerful countries.
In an open letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, more than 60 organizations stressed that the process of choosing Bachelet's successor should be transparent.
These organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Federation for Human Rights have said that the next high commissioner must be a "courageous and principled champion of human rights."
She added that the position of the High Commissioner "requires a strong commitment (...) to combat impunity, achieve redress and demand accountability for all human rights violations and abuses, including those committed by the most powerful governments."
In their letter, these NGOs stressed that this role "requires those who play it to be the main defender of human rights in the world, which is different from the role of a diplomat or political envoy."
The letter stressed that "expressing solidarity with the victims and publicly condemning violations must take precedence over friendly dialogue with governments."
And in mid-June, Bachelet announced that she would not run for a second term at the head of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, after her current mandate, scheduled to expire at the end of next August.
The High Commissioners for Human Rights are often subject to strong political pressure from around the world.
Human rights organizations also demanded that the selection of Bachelet's successor be "transparent" and be the result of a "consultative" process.