Dunja Mijatovic took up the office of the Council of Europe's (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights as of March 1st, the CoE stated. Mijatović was elected in January 2017 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE. She is the first woman to hold the post, succeeding Nils Muižnieks, Thomas Hammaberg and Alvaro Gil-Robles.

“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,” said Mijatovic. 

In terms of priorities, Mijatovic added, her vision would be 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 underlined.  

New CoE's Commissioner for Human Rights expressed satisfaction over the opportunity to cooperate with governments, national authorities, international organizations, human right and defenders, journalists, NGOs and human rights structures.