João Clemente Baena Soares (born 14 May 1931) is a Brazilian diplomat. Soares was born in

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...

. He worked at the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations for 31 years before being elected to serve as

Secretary General of the Organization of American States The Secretary General of the Organization of American States is the highest position within the Organization of American States. According to the Charter of the Organization of American States: Secretaries General of the OAS Assistant ...

from 1984 to 1994. In Brazil, he has also served as Secretary General of Foreign Affairs of Brazil (that is, as Brazil's Vice-Chancellor). Between 1997 and 2006, he was a member of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

International Law Commission The International Law Commission (ILC) is a body of experts responsible for helping develop and codify international law. It is composed of 34 individuals recognized for their expertise and qualifications in international law, who are elected by t ...

. On 4 November 2003

UN Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary- ...

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founde ...

appointed him to sit on the High Level Threat Panel. On September 1, 2006, he was appointed to the

United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...

's High-Level Commission of Inquiry charged with probing allegations that

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

systematically targeted and killed Lebanese civilians during the 2006 Lebanon War.

Publications

* ''Sem medo da diplomácia'' (2006)

References

External links

* 1931 births Living people Brazilian diplomats Brazilian jurists People from Belém Secretaries General of the Organization of American States Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro alumni {{Brazil-law-bio-stub