Human rights expert Dunja Mijatović of Bosnia and Herzegovina took up the post of Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday.

Mijatović was elected last January by the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE, a 47-member international organisation headquartered in Strasbourg. Previously she served as Representative on the Freedom of the Media at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from 2010 to 2016.

Mijatović is the first woman to hold this post, succeeding Nils Muiznieks (2012-18), Thomas Hammarberg (2006-12) and Alvaro Gil-Robles (1999-2006).

“I intend to keep the legacy of the previous Commissioners’ work and maintain the ability of this institution to react rapidly and effectively to protect people’s human rights. My view is that human rights are indeed universal and that no country is beyond scrutiny,” Mijatović said.

“In terms of priorities, my vision is simple. In a word, it is: implementation. Norms, resolutions, treaties are there to guide us. Yes, we do need political will to make sure they are realised. But this is not a matter only for governments. We must engage our societies at large in their implementation, and involve everyone in a dialogue on human rights,” she added.

The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent and impartial non-judicial institution established in 1999 by the CoE to promote awareness of and respect for human rights in the organisation’s 47 member States; identify possible shortcomings in laws and practices regarding human rights; and facilitate the activities of national ombudspersons and other human rights structures.

The Commissioner makes regular visits to member states to engage in dialogue with both governments and civil society, and prepares reports on issues falling within their mandate.