United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has appointed Professor William Schabas, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway, to the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in Human Rights.

The Voluntary Fund was established in 1987 by UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar to provide technical cooperation to countries upon the request of their Governments. The focus is on providing practical assistance for the building and strengthening of national structures that have a direct impact on the overall observance of human rights and the maintenance of the rule of law.

The Board of Trustees assists in fund-raising and provides expert advice and support to the Voluntary Fund. Members are appointed by the Secretary-General for a three-year term and are chosen for their independence and wide experience in the field of human rights and technical cooperation.

Commenting on his appointment, Professor Schabas, said: "It is a great honour to be selected to join this distinguished Board and I look forward to taking up the challenge to develop and advise on human rights structures across the globe. I welcome the opportunity to assist the Secretary-General, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights in building the fund and strengthening its already important impact in the promotion of human rights."

Professor Schabas will join human rights notables on the Board, such as Ligia Bolivar Osuna from Venezula, Mary Chinery-Hese from Ghana, Vitit Muntarbhorn from Thailand and Viacheslav I. Bakhmin from Russia.

William Schabas is Professor of Human Rights Law at NUI Galway, where he has been the Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights since 2000. He will continue in his role as Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights while serving as a board member of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in Human Rights.

Professor William A. Schabas Irish Centre for Human Rights Tel: + 353 (0)87 412 9551