Michelle Bachelet

Michelle Bachelet
Bachelet in 2019
7th United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
In office
1 September 2018  31 August 2022
DeputyKate Gilmore
Secretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres
Preceded byZeid Raad Al Hussein
Succeeded byVolker Türk
33rd & 35th President of Chile
In office
11 March 2014  11 March 2018
Preceded bySebastián Piñera
Succeeded bySebastián Piñera
In office
11 March 2006  11 March 2010
Preceded byRicardo Lagos
Succeeded bySebastián Piñera
President pro tempore of the Pacific Alliance
In office
1 July 2016  30 June 2017
Preceded byOllanta Humala
Succeeded byJuan Manuel Santos
Executive Director of UN Women
In office
14 September 2010  15 March 2013
DeputyLakshmi Puri
Secretary GeneralBan Ki-moon
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byLakshmi Puri (acting)
President pro tempore of UNASUR
In office
23 May 2008  10 August 2009
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byRafael Correa
Minister for National Defense
In office
7 January 2002  1 October 2004
PresidentRicardo Lagos
Preceded byMario Fernández Baeza
Succeeded byJaime Ravinet
Minister for Health
In office
11 March 2000  7 January 2002
PresidentRicardo Lagos
Preceded byÁlex Figueroa
Succeeded byOsvaldo Artaza
Personal details
Born
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria

(1951-09-29) 29 September 1951
Santiago, Chile
Political partySocialist
Other political
affiliations
Concertación (1988–2013)
Nueva Mayoría (2013–2018)
Spouse
Jorge Dávalos Cartes
(m. 1978; separation 1984)
Children3
Parents
EducationUniversity of Chile (MD)
ProfessionPaediatrician / Public Health Physician
Signature
Websitemichellebachelet.cl

Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (Spanish: [beˈɾonika miˈʃel βaʃeˈle ˈxeɾja]; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency. She was re-elected in December 2013 with over 62% of the vote, having previously received 54% in 2006, making her the first President of Chile to be re-elected since 1932. After her second term, she served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. Earlier in her career, she was appointed as the first executive director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

Bachelet, a physician with studies in military strategy, also held positions as Health Minister and Defense Minister under President Ricardo Lagos. She is a separated mother of three and identifies as agnostic. In addition to her native Spanish, she is fluent in English and has proficiency in German, French, and Portuguese.