"I would like to assure you of my personal commitment to upholding these principles in the day to day work of my department," wrote Bertini, adding that the UN is "committed to addressing the challenges…and overcoming any obstacle that it might face."

"Catherine Bertini is clearly one of the key individuals able to promote human rights and the environment within the UN," announced UN Observer.org Executive Director Bruno Schneider. "We are therefore delighted to hear of her strong commitment to the principles of leadership by example in the field of human rights and the environment that UN Observer.org has been fighting for. We look forward to working with Ms. Bertini's department in the future."

UN Observer.org is a Non Governmental Organization inspired by the vision of a strong and effective UN system guided by human rights and environmental principles.

As an organization driven by the belief that leadership is best achieved by example, UN Observer.org's mission is to encourage and assist the United Nations family of organizations to hold itself to the same human rights and environmental principles that it promotes.

UN Observer.org publishes newsletters and issue-specific reports, provides an on-line electronic forum, organizes advocacy campaigns and maintains a resource and documentation center available to the public on issues relating to the UN and human rights.