Michelle Bachelet—the boundary-breaking former president of Chile, under-secretary general of the United Nations and executive director of UN Women—is now stepping into a new role in the world of global politics as the UN’s high commissioner for human rights.
MIchelle Bachelet
Michelle Bachelet is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations high commissioner for human rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as president of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2018 for the Socialist Party of Chile. She is the first woman to hold the Chilean presidency.
A Harrowing Reminder of the Anti-Abortion Climate in Chile
Early in 2015, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced a goal for her presidency: to end the country’s total ban on abortion. Currently, women in Chile can face up to five years in prison for undergoing the procedure—with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother—unless the abortion is “accidental.” Given the legal climate, […]
What Does Sex Have to Do with World Peace?
Last year, a quiet but powerful book, Sex and World Peace, was published by an interdisciplinary group of researchers and scholars. The authors, Valerie M. Hudson, Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill, Mary Caprioli and Chad F. Emmett, set out to demonstrate and document the complex but evident relationship between how girls and women are treated and the security […]
How to Reduce Abortion Stigma? Take A Clue from the Global HIV/AIDS Movement
One aspect of the global HIV/AIDS movement that’s always impressed me is the success advocates have had in reducing stigma around infection. In the 30 years that this disease has taken root, stigma has shrunken dramatically. Famous people from all professions and walks of life have come forward to divulge their status (some voluntarily, others […]
Another Woman Leader in Latin America?
Last month, Sandra Torres announced that she was divorcing her husband, Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom, in order to run for the presidency herself. “I am getting a divorce from my husband, but I am getting married to the people,” she told reporters. The Guatemalan constitution bans the president’s relatives from running for office. If Torres […]
Across Africa, Women Peacekeepers Needed
As conflict rages in various regions of Africa, Ghana has just won dual accolades from the United Nations: for its transparent, democratic elections and, of note to feminists, for its inclusion of women in peacekeeping missions. Ghana has 55 women on the front lines of the 700-person contingent of peacekeepers it has sent to Liberia […]
Clinton, Bachelet Head to Egypt, Tunisia To Push Women’s Role
Egyptian and Tunisian women’s role in post-revolutionary governments was a major concern at the high-powered “Women in the World” summit this past weekend, hosted by Newsweek and Daily Beast editor Tina Brown. Speakers such as Melinda Gates, Madeline Albright and Melanne Verveer devoted three days to discussing the importance of investing in women worldwide. After […]
Women Deliver 100: The List Revealed!
The list is out! Following our teaser last week for the release of the names of the top 100 individuals who most deliver for girls and women, Women Deliver has now unveiled them: This list recognizes women and men, both prominent and lesser known, who have committed themselves to improving the lives of girls and women […]
Bachelet Launches UN Agency to Empower Women
A new U.N. agency strives to put women front and center, and it’s headed by a lady with plenty of experience being at the helm. Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet will preside over the new super-agency, UN Women, which will incorporate the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Office of the Special Adviser on […]
Global News Roundup: Michelle Bachelet Heads UN Women, France Bans Veil, and More
This week, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet is named new head of UN Women; maternal mortality has fallen for the first time in decades; the French Senate votes to ban face veils in public; a senior British cardinal says women can’t be ordained; and a woman purporting to be Sakineh Ashtiani, who was sentenced to […]