Former Australian Justice Kirby Appointed Co-Chair of the IBAHRI
The Honourable Michael Kirby, has been appointed Co- Chair of the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI).
A former Justice of the High Court of Australia, international jurist and educator, he succeeds Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, a member of the United Kingdom House of Lords, in the role. Together with current Co-Chair, Ambassador (ret.) Hans Corell, former Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and the Legal Counsel of the United Nations, Mr. Kirby now leads the IBAHRI Council, the Institute's governing body.
On appointment, Mr. Kirby commented: 'I am delighted to be stepping into the role of Co-Chair for the IBAHRI. I have been working with the Institute for many years, and have seen the impact of its work close up. I look forward to continuing to contribute to it and working alongside my Co-Chair, Hans Corell, who I have known since we worked together on the drafting of the 1980 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Privacy Guidelines. I know that we are both dedicated to practical outcomes and, in the year of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it will be essential for us to grapple with both old and new challenges.' Paying tribute to his predecessor, Mr. Kirby added, 'I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Baroness Helena Kennedy for her services to the IBAHRI, and her last six years as Co-Chair of the Council’.
Mr. Kirby has had a long and distinguished career as a jurist, having served as a Deputy President of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission (1975-1983); Chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission (1975-1984); Judge of the Federal Court of Australia (1983-1984); President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal (1984-1996); President of the Court of
Appeal of Solomon Islands (1995-1996); and Justice of the High Court of Australia (19962009). In addition, Mr. Kirby has undertaken many international activities for the UN, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the OECD and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He has worked in civil society, having been elected as President of the International Commission of Jurists. Recently, he acted as Commissioner of the UN Development Programme Global Commission on HIV and the Law, Chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea, and was a member of the High-Level Panel on Access to Essential Healthcare, convened in 2015 by the then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Mr. Kirby is also heavily engaged in international arbitrations, domestic mediations and teaching law. He currently holds Honorary Professorships at 12 Australian and International Universities, and has received numerous prestigious human rights awards, including the Australian Human Rights Medal. In 1998, he was named Laureate of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Prize for Human Rights Education. Ambassador (ret.) Corell welcomed Mr. Kirby to the post, stating: 'On behalf of the entire IBAHRI Council, I would like to congratulate Michael on his appointment as Co- Chair. We are fortunate to have someone with such vast experience in the field of human rights law, as part of our Council. As we continue to work with the global legal community to promote and protect human rights around the world, the IBAHRI will benefit greatly from his knowledge and expertise. I know this, since I have followed Michael's career with great interest since we first met around 40 years ago, when he chaired an OECD working group on privacy with immense success. I would also like to thank Helena Kennedy warmly for her important contributions to the work of the IBAHRI. I have
had the privilege of serving as Co-Chair with her during the past three years.'