João Clemente Baena Soares (14 May 1931 – 7 June 2023) was 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 the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the north of B ...

. 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. Duties According to the Charter of the Organization of American States: Secretaries General of the OAS ...

from 1984 to 1994. In Brazil, he 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 the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

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 UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

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 founder a ...

appointed him to sit on the

High Level Threat Panel The United Nations' High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change was created in 2003 to analyse threats and challenges to international peace and security, and to recommend action based on this analysis. It was chaired by former Prime Minister ...

. On 1 September 2006, he was appointed to the

United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) 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 United Nations Regional Gro ...

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

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

systematically targeted and killed Lebanese civilians during the

2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...

. Soares died on 7 June 2023, at the age of 92.

Publications

* ''Sem medo da diplomácia'' (2006)

References

External links

* 1931 births 2023 deaths Brazilian diplomats Brazilian jurists People from Belém Secretaries general of the Organization of American States Recipients of the Order of Prince Henry Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal) Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit (Portugal) Recipients of the Order of the Sun of Peru Grand Officers of the Order of Saint James of the Sword Commanders of the Legion of Honour Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro alumni {{Brazil-law-bio-stub