Jean
Ziegler
is
the Vice-President of the UN Human Rights
Council’s Advisory Committee, where he works as an expert on economic,
social
and cultural rights, including the right to food. During the period
2000-2008,
Jean Ziegler was the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.
In
September
2000,
Jean Ziegler was nominated by the UN
Commission on Human Rights to be the first UN Special Rapporteur on the
Right
to Food. His mandate was renewed in June 2006 by the UN Human Rights
Council.
In March 2008, he was elected as a Member of the Advisory Committee of
the UN
Human Rights Council. One year later, the Human Rights Council decided,
by
acclamation, to re-elect Jean Ziegler as a member of the Advisory
Committee, a
post he will now hold until 2012. The Advisory Committee elected Jean
Ziegler
as Vice-President of the forum in August 2009.
Before his appointments at the UN, Jean Ziegler was well
known for his work as a professor, and as a Swiss Member of Parliament
for 18
years. Jean Ziegler is a honorary Professor at the University of
Geneva. Here
he established the Laboratory of sociology for the study of the
societies of
the Third World. Most of his academic work has focused on developing
countries.
He is also qualified as a lawyer, with doctorates in law and in
sociology from
the University of Berne and an appointment before the Bar of Geneva.
Jean Ziegler holds honorary degrees from the University Mons-Hainaut
in Belgium, Paris 8 University and the University of Savoie in France.
He has
been honored with several awards, prices and decorations. Most
recently, he has
been granted the 'Prix littéraire pour les droits de l'homme 2008' for
his book
La Haine de l'Occident.
Publications
Jean
Ziegler
wrote
numerous books, many of which have been
translated in all major languages of circulation.
His most recent book is Der Hass auf den Westen which appeared in 2009
at the
C. Bertelsmann publishing house. It is the translation and updated
version of
his award-winning La Haine de l'Occident.
One
of
Jean
Ziegler's best known book is The Swiss,
the Gold and the Dead which details the role of Swiss banks
in
illegally holding the dormant bank accounts of Jewish victims of the
Holocaust.
His other books
include:
L’Empire de la honte, Editions Livre de poche, 2008.
L’Empire de la honte, Editions Fayard, 2005.
Les Nouveaux maîtres du monde et ceux qui leur
résistent,
Editions Fayard, 2002.
Le Droit à l’alimentation, Editions Mille et une
nuits,
2003.
La Faim dans le monde racontée à mon fils, Seuil,
1999.
Les Seigneurs du crime, les nouvelles mafias contre
la
démocratie, Seuil, 1998.
La Suisse, l’or et les morts, Seuil, 1997, coll. «
Points »,
1998.
La Victoire des vaincus, oppression et résistance
culturelle, Seuil, coll. « L’histoire immédiate », 1988, nouvelle
édition revue
et augmentée, coll. « Points », 1991.