Notícias
PRESS RELEASE N. 104
Appointment of Brazilian Prosecutor Najla Nassif Palma as the United Nations Victims’ Rights Advocate
The Brazilian government was greatly pleased to learn that the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed on March 4 Brazililan Najla Nassif Palma, a prosecutor of the military justice system and Ombudsperson of the Military Public Prosecutor's Office, as the UN Victims’ Rights Advocate. This is the highest-ranking position held today by a Brazilian woman within the United Nations secretariat.
The appointment of Prosecutor Najla Palma reflects the recognition of her professional role, in a career spanning over 25 years, in the fields of human rights and international humanitarian law, with emphasis on her dedication and efforts in combating violence against women and promoting gender and ethnic-racial equality.
In 2021, she held the position of Coordinator of Gender and Race Institutional Policy at the Brazilian Military Public Prosecutor's Office. Since 2022 she has served as Ombudsperson and Coordinator of the special contact channel for Women's Complaints at that agency. Prosecutor Nassif Palma holds a Master's degree in International Law from the University of Geneva and was a member of Brazil's technical cooperation committee for drafting Angola's first Military Penal Code.
As the UN Victims' Rights Advocate, the Brazilian prosecutor will be responsible for developing strategies and providing assistance to victims of sexual abuse and exploitation in coordination with many agencies, funds and programs of the United Nations system, as well as with member states and civil society institutions.