"The High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra?ad al-Hussein announced on December 20, 2017 that he wouldn?t be seeking a second mandate, due to the ?appalling climate for advocacy” in the current geopolitical system. This comes as a worrying warning regarding the inability of the UN system to respond to multiplying conflicts across the globe, from Syria to Yemen, and from Myanmar to Iraq, with acts amounting to crimes against humanity. His nomination in 2014— which was unanimously approved by all 193 member states of the UN General Assembly— was at the time perceived as a positive sign, showing a political will to strengthen human rights within the UN system. The former professional diplomat, who has acquired a strong reputation as a fierce defender of human rights, never shied away from speaking truth even to the most powerful states within the UN. He was especially vocal in his criticism of Russian support to the Syrian government, and regularly denounced the Trump administration?s faux pas, from the travel bans against citizens from Muslim majority countries to the administration?s reaction to the demonstrations organized by white supremacists in Virginia..."