Vitit Muntarbhorn

Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn has dedicated much of his life to promoting understanding and respect for shared values of human rights and dignity.  His expertise and experience has been recognised by the UN through his appointment to a number of UN human rights roles. He was Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (1991-1994) and on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (2004-2010). He was a Commissioner of the Independent International Commission of inquiry on Syria (2012-2016), the Chair of the International Commission of Inquiry on the Ivory Coast (2011). In 2016, he became the first UN Independent Expert on Sexual-Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) and in March 2021 Vitit was appointed the UN Special Rapporteur on Cambodia.

Vitit was Co-Chair of the Drafting Committee of the Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and is Professor Emeritus of Law at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand.