Mrs. Arbour was, until June 2004, a member of the Supreme Court of Canada.

She served as chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda from 1996 to 2000, during which time she indicted former Yugoslav and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, among others, for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his part in atrocities committed in Kosovo. 

The indictment of Slobodan Milosevic was the first of a serving Head of State.

Mrs. Arbour was appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario after having served as a trial judge for the High Court of Justice for the Supreme Court of Ontario since 1987. 

She earned widespread recognition in Canada for her work at the head of an investigation into the operation of the correctional service, based on allegations by female inmates at a women's prison in Kingston, Ontario.

Before 1987, she was an associate professor and associate dean at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. 

Throughout her academic and judicial career, Mrs. Arbour has published extensively in the area of criminal procedure, criminal law, human rights, civil liberties and gender issues.

Mrs. Arbour received her bachelor's degree from Quebec's College Regina Assumpta in 1967 and her LL.L from the Faculty of Law at the University of Montreal in 1970. 

She was called to the Quebec Bar in 1971 and the Ontario Bar in 1977. 

She received a Doctorate of Laws honoris causa from York University, and she also received the University Medal from the University of Montreal. 

Until her appointment to the bench, she was a vice president of the Canadian Liberties Association.

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	Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
	Born: 10 February 1947, Montréal, Québec Citizenship: Canadian Professional Experience June 1999 Appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, effective 15 September 1999 February 1996 Appointed by the Security Council of the United Nations as Chief Prosecutor for The International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, effective 1 October 1996 April 1995 Appointed by Order-in-Council as single Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into certain events at the Prisons for Women in Kingston February 1990 Appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario December 1987 Appointed to the Supreme Court of Ontario (High Court of Justice) July - December 1987 Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University 1977-1987 Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University 1975 Assistant Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University 1974 Lecturer in Criminal Procedure, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University 1972 Research Officer, Law Reform Commission, Member of the Criminal Procedure Project 1971-1972 Law Clerk for Mr. Justice Louis-Philippe Pigeon, Supreme Court of Canada 1970 Articling, Legal Department, City of Montreal Education and Degrees 1967 B.A. Collège Regina Assumpta, Montréal 1970 LL.L. (with distinction) Faculty of Law, Université de Montréal 1970-1971 Quebec Bar Admission Course 1971 Called to the Quebec Bar 1977 Called to the Ontario Bar Honorary Doctorates 1995 York University 1997 University of Ottawa 1999 Law Society of Upper Canada; University of New Brunswick; Laurentian University; Université du Québec à Montréal 2000 Université Libre de Bruxelles; University of Victoria; Kingston Royal Military College; Chicago-Kent College of Law; Université de Montréal; McMaster’s University; University of Western Ontario; University of Toronto; Glasgow University; Queen’s University; Carleton University 2001 Mount Saint Vincent University; University of King’s College; Université de Moncton; Memorial University in St. John’s Newfoundland; Windsor University; Concordia University in Montréal; University of British Columbia in Vancouver 2002 University of Lakchead 2003 Université Picardie – Jules Verne, Amiens, France; St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia Medals and Awards 1995 Médaille de l’Université de Montréal 1996 Achievement Award of the Women’s Law Association, Toronto 1998 G. Arthur Martin Award, Criminal Lawyers’ Association, Toronto 1999 Medal of Honour of the International Association of Prosecutors, First Recipient 1999 Medal of Honour, International Association of Prosecutors; Médaille du Mérite, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal; Prix de la Fondation Louise Weiss, Paris 1999-2004 Honorary Professor, University of Warwick, Coventry, U.K. 2000 Pennsylvania Bar Foundation’s Second Annual Service to Humanity Award, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Four Freedoms Medal (Freedom from Fear), Roosevelt Study Center, Middleburg, The Netherlands; Women of Distinction Award, Toronto Hadassah-Wizo; Peace Award, World Federalists of Canada; Lord Reading Law Society’s Human Rights Award; Wolfgang Freidman Memorial Award, Columbia Law School; EID-UL-ADHA Award, The Association of Progressive Muslims of Ontario 2001 Médaille du Barreau du Québec; National Achievement Award 2001, Jewish Women International of Canada 2002 Stefan A. Riesenfeld Symposium Award, Berkeley Journal of International Law; Mc Gill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women Person of the Year 2002 Award; Prix de la Fondation Justice dans le Monde de l’Union internationale des Magistrats, 2002 Year Award 2003 Médaille de la Faculté de droit de l’Université de Montréal Inducted into International Hall of Fame – International Women’s Forum Honorary Fellowship – American College of Trial Lawyers Médaille 125e anniversaire – Faculté de droit, Association des diplômés en droit – Université de Montréal Related Professional Activities - Vice President, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, until December 1987 - Lifetime Member of l’Association des jurists d’expression française de l’Ontario, 1992 - Honorary Member, American Society of International Law, 2000 - Member, International Crisis Group, Board of Trustees, 2000 – - Honorary Member, Golden Key National Honour Society, 2000 - Honorary Bencher of Grays Inn, London, England, 2001 - Member of the International Council, Institute for Global Legal Studies of Washington University School of Law St-Louis, Missouri, 2001 - Member Advisory Board, International Journal of Constitutional Law, Oxford University Press (New York Law School), 2001 - Member, Board of Editors, Journal of International Criminal Justice, 2003

The High Commissioner

The High Commissioner is the principal U.N. official with responsibility for human rights and is accountable to the Secretary-General.

The post of High Commissioner was created in 1993.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is based at the Palais Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland, with an office at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

There are different U.N. human rights institutions and agencies. All have the common aim of promoting and protecting internationally agreed human rights - civil, cultural, economic, political and social.

These rights were first proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Every person on the globe is equally entitled to enjoy them and the task given to the High Commissioner is to strengthen the efforts of the United Nations to implement all of them.

Leadership

The High Commissioner seeks to lead the international human rights movement by acting as a moral authority and voice for victims.

The High Commissioner makes frequent public statements and appeals on human rights crises and travels widely to ensure that the human rights message is heard in all parts of the globe.

At the same time the High Commissioner engages in dialogue and builds constructive cooperation with Governments to strengthen national human rights protection.

The Office seeks to work with an ever wider range of actors, including NGOs, academic institutions and the private sector, to instill commitment to human rights as widely as possible.

It promotes human rights education and seeks to stimulate thinking on prevention as well as on new challenges such as trafficking in people, HIV/AIDS, biotechnology and the effects of globalization.

Mainstreams human rights in the United Nations

The High Commissioner has been given the task of integrating human rights thinking and standards throughout the work of the Organization.

OHCHR works with other parts of the U.N. to achieve this goal and participates fully in each of the U.N.'s programmes - peace and security, economic and social affairs, development cooperation and humanitarian affairs.

Making the UN human rights programme more effective within countries

The High Commissioner seeks to bring together different institutions and organizations working for human rights throughout the world and to encourage them to combine with the UN system in advancing human rights.

OHCHR encourages links between national, regional and international groups and organizations to ensure practical implementation of the findings and recommendations of international human rights bodies.

To foster those links, OHCHR has working agreements with many organizations, has appointed regional representatives and advisers, and has set up field offices.

Supporting international human rights bodies

The High Commissioner seeks to offer the highest quality research, expertise, advice and administrative services to the main U.N. human rights bodies.

OHCHR provides support for the meetings of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and its Sub-Commission and follow-up to their deliberations.

Its staff assist the numerous experts appointed by these bodies in investigating and reporting on human rights issues.

It also prepares the work of the U.N. committees that monitor how States fulfill their human rights obligations.

OHCHR ensures a communication flow between these international bodies to maximize the impact of their efforts.

Providing access to human rights information and promoting human rights education

The High Commissioner disseminates information on human rights and promotes human rights education worldwide.

Working with the U.N. Department of Public Information, OHCHR ensures that records of the meetings of human rights bodies are available to the media.

It publishes extensively and maintains a web site that makes all official documents and information on international human rights developments accessible to millions.