Hernán Santa Cruz (1906 – 1999 in
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...
) was a
Chilean delegate to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
, judge, lawyer and one of the
initial drafters of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt ...
.
Life and career
Santa Cruz was born into an upper-middle-class family. His father had been a lawyer, journalist and mayor of a district of
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...
. Santa Cruz began working in the public sector as a lawyer around 1922. Initially a lecturer on criminal and military procedure, he later received an role as a judge on Chile's
Superior Military Court. He was appointed as
Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations in 1946 by President
Gabriel González Videla. Though he did not (at the time) believe he had the background or ability to serve effectively, he would come to refer to it as the start of a second existence.
Santa Cruz's role in the United Nations, as a delegate of the
Third Committee and
Human Rights Commission, was a formative one.
The U.S. State Department observed that during his service at the UN, "on one occasion while his family was out of town," he "sold the entire household effects, including his wife's clothing, and gave the proceeds to his
mistress
Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to:
Romance and relationships
* Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
."
In 1953, Santa Cruz left the Chilean diplomatic service to work for the UN directly. 1958 saw him join the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), where he served as Regional Director for
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
and later a sub-director of the organization. Other bodies he engaged with included the
UNCTAD,
ILO
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...
,
UNDP,
G77 and the
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.
The movement originated in the aftermath ...
. Santa Cruz retired in 1984.
He died in 1999 in Santiago and had at least one child, Rodrigo Santa Cruz.
Ideas and legacy
According to
Susan Waltz, although Santa Cruz "held no position of responsibility...his political and substantive contributions were such" that his co-drafter,
John Peters Humphrey and the author Johannes Morsink later singled out the important role he played in shaping the Declaration's transition away from "eighteenth century
Enlightenment philosophy" towards "
socioeconomic rights."
In addition to his work on the declaration, Santa Cruz was "actively involved in the establishment of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean" in 1947.
ECLAC's library in Santiago is named after him.
External links
1970 address at the FAO by Santa CruzHernán Santa Cruz at the UN Audiovisual Library
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Hernán
1906 births
1999 deaths
20th-century Chilean judges
Chilean diplomats
Permanent Representatives of Chile to the United Nations