Vitit Muntarbhorn

Vitit Muntarbhorn
KBE
Vitit Muntarbhorn KBE
วิทิต มันตาภรณ์
	Muntarbhorn in 2011
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children
	In office; 1991–1994
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Ofelia Calcetas-Santos
United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; March 2021
Preceded by	Rhona Smith
Personal details
Born	November 1952 (age 71)
Nationality	Thai
Alma mater	Oxford; Free University of Brussels;

Vitit Muntarbhorn (born 1952) (Thai: วิทิต มันตาภรณ์, RTGS: Withit Mantaphon) is an international human rights expert and professor of law at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.^[1]^[2] 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.^[3] In 2004, he was awarded the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education.^[2]^[4]

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.^[1] His term ended in June 2010. During his six years of service, North Korea repeatedly rejected his requests for meetings.^[5]

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.^[2] 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.^[6] He also was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.^[7]

Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn was appointed as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia in March 2021.^[8]