Victims' Rights Advocate
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Najla Nassif Palma of Brazil as Victims’ Rights Advocate for the United Nations in May 2024.? She succeeds Jane Connors of Australia, to whom the Secretary-General has expressed his appreciation for her service and commitment as the Organization’s first Victims’ Rights Advocate.
As Victims’ Rights Advocate, Ms. Nassif Palma will?further the United Nations' commitment to putting the rights and dignity of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse at the forefront of its prevention and response efforts.?
She brings to the role 25 years of experience as a Civilian Federal Prosecutor of military crimes and violence against women, where she has been instrumental in fostering collaboration between the military and civilian justice systems, implementing human rights and international humanitarian law, and ensuring a comprehensive approach to combating sexual exploitation and abuse.? Her holistic vision will guide the United Nations’ prevention and response initiatives, to ensure they remain victim-centered and effective.?
Over the course of her career, she has additionally taken on roles as Ombudsperson (2023-2024), Coordinator for Women's Rights (2022-2024), Coordinator of the Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Policies (2021), and Commissioner for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (2018-2022) of the Brazilian Military Prosecutor-General’s Office.? She has also served as Coordinator of the “Dialogue between the Military Prosecution Service, Military Judicial System, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense on the criminal responsibility of peacekeepers” (2015-2022), and a member of the technical cooperation committee of Brazil to elaborate the first military criminal code of Angola (2014-2017).?
As a law scholar, Ms. Nassif Palma has made significant contributions as the Director of the Brazilian Institute of Military and International Humanitarian Law (2018-2024), and as the Education Coordinator at the Brazilian Superior Federal Prosecution School (2010-2014).?She was?a Professor of Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, and International Criminal Law. She also regularly spoke as a Lecturer at Academic Institutions, including the Brazilian Superior War College.
She holds a Masters of Laws (LLM) in International Humanitarian Law from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, Switzerland and a Bachelor in Law from Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) in Brazil.? She is fluent in Portuguese, English and French.
