Michelle Bachelet

Michelle Bachelet made history as the first woman elected President of Chile, a role she held for two non-consecutive terms. Her leadership was marked by a strong commitment to social equity, with a focus on advancing the rights of vulnerable populations. Prior to her presidency, she served as Chile’s Minister of Health (2000-2002) and became both Chile’s and Latin America’s first female Minister of Defense (2002-2004).

Following her presidency, President Bachelet was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a position she held from 2018 to 2022. In this role, she led global human rights initiatives and served as the UN’s top human rights official.

President Bachelet has also held key leadership roles in various international organisations. She was the inaugural Executive Director of UN Women, Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, and Chair of the ILO’s Social Protection Floor Advisory Group. Her career in public service and human rights advocacy has been shaped by both personal and professional experiences. She began her academic journey studying medicine at the University of Chile. During the Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990), her father died as a result of torture, and in 1975, she and her mother were imprisoned and subsequently exiled. President Bachelet continued her medical studies in East Berlin and returned to Chile in 1979, specialising in pediatrics and public health at the Roberto del Río Children’s Hospital.

After Chile’s transition to democracy, President Bachelet contributed to public health efforts as an epidemiologist with the Western Metropolitan Health Service and as a member of the National AIDS Commission. She also worked as a consultant for the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ).

In 1994, she served as an advisor to the Ministry of Health on primary health care and health service management. She further enhanced her expertise by studying military strategy at Chile’s National Academy of Political and Strategic Studies and the Inter-American Defense College in the United States.