Louise Arbour | |
|---|---|
 Louise Arbour at theWorld Economic Forum annual meeting in 2011 | |
| United Nations Special Representative for International Migration | |
| In office March 1, 2017 – December 31, 2018 | |
| Secretary General | António Guterres |
| Preceded by | Peter Sutherland |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | |
| In office July 30, 2004 – August 31, 2008 | |
| Secretary General | Kofi Annan Ban Ki-moon |
| Preceded by | Sérgio Vieira de Mello |
| Succeeded by | Navi Pillay |
| Puisne Justice of theSupreme Court of Canada | |
| In office September 15, 1999 – July 28, 2004 | |
| Nominated by | Jean Chrétien |
| Preceded by | Peter Cory |
| Succeeded by | Rosalie Abella/Louise Charron |
| Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals forRwanda and theformer Yugoslavia | |
| In office October 1, 1996 – September 15, 1999 | |
| Secretary General | Boutros Boutros Ghali Kofi Annan |
| Preceded by | Richard Goldstone |
| Succeeded by | Carla Del Ponte |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1947-02-10)February 10, 1947 (age 78) Montreal,Quebec, Canada |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Collège Regina Assumpta (DEC) Université de Montréal (BA,LLL) University of Ottawa |
Louise Arbour,CC, GOQ (born February 10, 1947) is a Canadian lawyer, prosecutor and jurist.
Arbour was theUN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a former justice of theSupreme Court of Canada and theCourt of Appeal for Ontario and a former Chief Prosecutor of theInternational Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia andRwanda. From 2009 until 2014, she served as President and CEO of theInternational Crisis Group.[1] She made history with the indictment of a sitting head of state, Yugoslavian presidentSlobodan Milošević, as well as the first prosecution ofsexual assault as acrime against humanity. From March 2017 to December 2018 she was the Special Representative of theUnited Nations Secretary-General for International Migration.[2] She is currently in private practice in Montreal.[3]
Louise Arbour was born inMontreal,Quebec to Bernard and Rose (née Ravary) Arbour, the owners of a hotel chain. She attended convent school, during which time her parents divorced. As editor of the school magazine, she earned a reputation for irreverence.[4]
In 1967, she graduated fromCollège Regina Assumpta, and proceeded to theUniversité de Montréal where she completed anLL.B. with distinction in 1970. She was alaw clerk for JusticeLouis-Philippe Pigeon of theSupreme Court of Canada from 1971–1972 while completing graduate studies at the Faculty of Law (Civil Section) of theUniversity of Ottawa. This is where she met her long time common-law partner Larry Taman, with whom she lived for 27 years.[5] In a 2014 interview, Arbour named the move from Quebec to Ontario as the "biggest hurdle [she] had to overcome to succeed in [her] career," as her entire education had been in French.[6]
She was called to theBar of Quebec in 1971 and theLaw Society of Upper Canada in 1977.[7]
She has three adult children: Emilie, Patrick and Catherine.[7] Her daughter Emilie Taman was an NDP candidate in the 2015 Canadian election in the electoral district ofOttawa—Vanier.[8] Emilie also was a candidate for the NDP in the 2017 by-election[9] and 2019 general election.[10] She also has three grandchildren.[6]
Arbour is a member of theGlobal Commission on Drug Policy and of theInternational Commission Against the Death Penalty.[11]
From 1972–73, Arbour was research officer for theLaw Reform Commission of Canada. She then taught atOsgoode Hall Law School,York University, first as a Lecturer (1974), then as Assistant Professor (1975), Associate Professor (1977–1987), and finally as Associate Professor and Associate Dean (1987). She was vice-president of theCanadian Civil Liberties Association until her appointment to theSupreme Court of Ontario (High Court of Justice) in 1987 and to theCourt of Appeal for Ontario in 1990. In 1995, Arbour was appointed as President of a Commission of Inquiry, under the Inquiries Act, for the purpose of investigating and reporting on events at the Prison for Women inKingston, Ontario, following allegations by prisoners of abuse.[12] The inquiry resulted in the publication of theArbour Report.
In 1996, atRichard Goldstone's recommendation, Arbourwas appointed as his replacement as Chief Prosecutor of theInternational Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda inArusha, and of theInternational Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. She indicted then-Serbian PresidentSlobodan Milošević for war crimes, the first time a serving head of State was called to account before an international court.[13]
In 1999, Prime MinisterJean Chrétien appointed Arbour to theSupreme Court of Canada on May 26, just one day before the publication of the indictment of Milosevic by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).[14]
In 2004, Arbour retired from the Supreme Court of Canada, having served for just under five years.[15][16]
After leaving the Supreme Court of Canada, Arbour became the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights.[15] She criticized a number of countries for their human rights records.[17] In 2008, she stepped down after serving one four year term.[17]
She has published works in the areas of criminal procedure and criminal law, in both French and English. At various times, she has served as an editor for theCriminal Reports, theCanadian Rights Reporter, and theOsgoode Hall Law Journal.[18]
In 2005, Arbour was awarded theThomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights, along with JusticeRichard Goldstone, in recognition of her work on the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.[19] She was the subject of a 2005 fact-basedCanadian-German made-for-television movie,Hunt for Justice [de], which follows her quest to indict Bosnian Serb war criminals. Arbour was played by Canadian actressWendy Crewson.[20] In 2016, she was awarded the prestigiousTang Prize Award in rule of law for her enduring contributions to international criminal justice and the protection of human rights, and to promoting peace, justice and security at home and abroad, and to working within the law to expand the frontiers of freedom for all.
She was made a Companion to theOrder of Canada in 2007 "for her contributions to the Canadian justice system and for her dedication to the advancement of human rights throughout the world".[21] She was made a Grand Officer of theNational Order of Quebec in 2009.[22]
She was made a Commander of theNational Order of the Legion of Honour in 2011.[23] She has been awarded numeroushonorary degrees, including Doctor of Civil Laws from theUniversity of Western Ontario in June 2000,[citation needed] Doctor of Humane Letters fromMount Saint Vincent University in May 2001,[24] and Doctor of Laws degrees from theUniversity of British Columbia in November 2001,[25] theUniversity of Waterloo in October 2006,[citation needed] in June 2009 from theUniversity of Alberta[citation needed] andUniversity of Guelph,[26] and fromSimon Fraser University in October 2009.[27]
On March 9, 2017, Arbour was appointed by theU.N. Secretary-General,António Guterres, to be his Special Representative for International Migration.[28] Her chief of staff wasJonathan Prentice.[29]
In April 2021, Arbour was appointed to lead an independent review of the military’s handling of sexual assault, harassment and other misconduct, byCanadian Minister of National DefenceHarjit Sajjan.[30] In May 2022, she delivered her report to Canadian Minister of National DefenceAnita Anand.[31]
She is currently a member of theWhitney R. Harris World Law Institute's International Council.[citation needed]
In January 2023, Arbour was awarded the 2023 Sandra Day O'Connor Justice Prize fromArizona State University, a lifetime achievement award for human rights work as well as upholding therule of law andjudicial independence.[32]
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