Born
in Rio de Janeiro in 1948, Sergio Vieira de Mello joined the United
Nations in 1969 while studying philosophy and humanities at the University
of Paris (Panthéon-Sorbonne).
He
spent the majority of his career working for the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, and served in humanitarian and
peace-keeping operations, in Bangladesh, Sudan, Cyprus, Mozambique,
and Peru.
In
1981 he assumed his first high-profile position, when he was appointed
Senior Political Adviser to UN forces in Lebanon. Thereafter, he occupied
several important functions at UNHCR's Headquarters from 1983 to 1991
(Chef de Cabinet of the High Commissioner; Director, Regional Bureau
for Asia and Oceania; and Director, Division of External Relations).
Between 1991 and 1996, he served as Special Envoy of the High Commissioner
for Cambodia, Director of Repatriation for the United Nations Transitional
Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), Head of Civil Affairs of the United Nations
Protection Force (UNPROFOR), and United Nations Regional Humanitarian
Coordinator for the Great Lakes Region of Africa. In 1996 he was appointed
United Nations Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, before being
posted to New York in January 1998 as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. He briefly held the position
of Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kosovo and also
served as United Nations Transitional Administrator in East Timor. On
12 September 2002 he was appointed United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights. In May of 2003, he was asked by the Secretary-General
to take a four month leave of absence from his position as High Commissioner
to serve in Iraq as Special Representative of the Secretary-General.
It was there that he was tragically killed on 19 August 2003.
"Sergio",
as he was known by the scores of government officials, UN staff members,
and others who considered him a good friend, was a remarkably effective
international civil servant. As a result, he was asked by the United
Nations to tackle some of the world's most complicated humanitarian
and peacekeeping challenges. His track record of success was extraordinary,
whether it was fashioning a refugee protection and resettlement scheme
for Vietnamese refugees, overseeing the repatriation of 300,000 Cambodian
refugees from Thailand, setting up a UN civil administration in Kosovo,
or managing the political transition in East Timor. His assets included
extraordinary intelligence and good judgment, graciousness and wit,
and a profound dedication to the humanitarian principles that inform
the UN Charter. He was the obvious choice to lead the UN effort in Iraq,
to which he has given his life.
His
friends and colleagues at the United Nations and elsewhere will best
honor his memory by persevering in the humanitarian and human rights
work to which Sergio was so committed.
