Ivan Šimonović has been Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, heading the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, since July 2010.

Before joining the United Nations, he held the position of Minister of Justice of Croatia, starting from 2008. Previously, he was Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, where he served as Senior Vice-President and President of the Economic and Social Council from 2001 to 2003.

Ivan also served as a professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Zagreb, where he was Head of the Legal Theory Department, Vice-Dean and Vice-Rector for international cooperation. He has experience and has published extensively in the fields of international relations, law, human rights, and development of national institutions.