The Hon Michael Kirby
AC CMG
TrialWatch Advisory Board
During his judicial service he was a commissioner of the WHO global commission on AIDS (1988-92); Special Representative of the UNSG for human rights in Cambodia (1993-6) and President of the International Commission of Jurists (1995-8). Since his judicial retirement, he has taken part in a large number of international activities. These have included member of the Eminent Persons Group on the future of the Commonwealth of Nations (2010-11); Commissioner of the UNDP Global Commission on HIV and the Law (2010-12); and chair of the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on North Korea (DPRK) (2013-14). He currently serves as senior co chair of the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute based in London (2018-). He is a strong advocate of LGBTIQ rights and recently married his partner of 50 years, Johan. In April 2019 he co-headed a mission to the Holy See in Rome concerning repeal of worldwide criminal laws against gays.
Michael Kirby was a Justice of the High Court of Australia, the nation’s highest court, from 1996-2009. Before that he held other important legal posts including President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal and of the Solomon Islands Court of Appeal.