Vitit Muntarbhorn
{{Short description|Thai professor and human rights expert}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Vitit Muntarbhorn
| native_name = {{nobold|วิทิต มันตาภรณ์}}
| native_name_lang = th
| image = Vitit Muntarbhorn (2011).jpg
| caption = Muntarbhorn in 2011
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100%|country=GBR|KBE}}
| office = United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children
| term_start = 1991
| term_end = 1994
| predecessor = Position established
| successor = Ofelia Calcetas-Santos
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1952|11}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| birthname =
| nationality = Thai
| alma_mater = {{ubl|Oxford|Free University of Brussels}}
| office1 = United Nations Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity
| termstart1 = August 2016
| termend1 = October 2017
| preceded1 = Position established
| successor1 = Victor Madrigal-Borloz
| office2 = United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia
| termstart2 = March 2021
| preceded2 = Rhona Smith
}}
Vitit Muntarbhorn (born 1952) ({{langx|th|วิทิต มันตาภรณ์}}, {{RTGS|Withit Mantaphon|italic=yes}}) is an international human rights expert and professor of law at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.{{citation|url=http://www.law.chula.ac.th/web/llm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24:members&catid=13:about-us&Itemid=13|title=Profiles of our Distinguished Academic Members|publisher=Chulalongkorn University|year=2009|access-date=2010-01-21}}{{citation|url=http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_norm/@relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_104133.pdf|title=Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn (Thailand), ILO biographical note|publisher=ILO|year=2009|access-date=2011-10-02}} Muntarbhorn was designated in September 2016 as the first UN Independent Expert on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity by the Human Rights Council before succeeded by Victor Madrigal-Borloz in 2018.
Biography
Muntarbhorn, born in November 1952, was educated at Oxford and Free University of Brussels, and was called to the Bar in England before going on to lecture in law at various universities in Austria, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Switzerland and Thailand. He served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography from 1990–1994. In 1994, he coedited with C. Taylor a paper on human rights in Thailand.Vitit Mintarbhorn, Taylor, C: Road to Democracy: Human Rights and Human Devepolment in Thailand, 1994 In 2004, he was awarded the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education.{{citation|title=Vitit Muntarbhorn wins the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education|publisher=UNESCO|date=2004-12-11|access-date=2010-01-21|url=http://portal.unesco.org/shs/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6997&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050324113606/http://portal.unesco.org/shs/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6997&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-03-24}}
Muntarbhorn was nominated to the position of United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) in 2004. His term ended in June 2010. During his six years of service, North Korea repeatedly rejected his requests for meetings.{{citation|url=http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2915390|periodical=Joongang Ilbo|date=2010-01-16|access-date=2010-01-21|title=UN official on Pyongyang leaving empty-handed|last=Yoo|first=Jee-ho}}
Muntarbhorn remains involved in various UN activities, principally as a member of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations of the International Labour Organization, and has served as an expert or consultant with the OHCHR, UNHCR, UNDP, FAO, UNICEF, UNESCO, the WHO and the
United Nations University. He was involved in the elaboration of the Yogyakarta Principles on LGBT rights.
In 2018, he was recipient of the Bonham Centre Award from the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies.{{cite web|url=http://sds.utoronto.ca/event/bonham-centre-awards-gala/|title=Bonham Centre Awards Gala 2018|access-date=2018-04-21|archive-date=2018-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401092818/http://sds.utoronto.ca/event/bonham-centre-awards-gala/|url-status=dead}} He also was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/honorary-british-awards-to-foreign-nationals-2018|title=Honorary British Awards to Foreign Nationals – 2018|date=6 February 2019 }}
Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn was appointed as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia in March 2021.{{cite web|url= https://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/sp/countriesmandates/kh/pages/srcambodia.aspx|title= OHCHR | Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{United Nations Special Rapporteurs}}
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Category:United Nations special rapporteurs
Category:Human rights in North Korea
Category:International law scholars
Category:Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire