high commissioner
3
6.8
- noun
- UK
:
alto comisionado
- The high commissioner met with officials to discuss trade agreements between the countries.
- high commissioner for refugees
- high commissioner for human rights
- U.N. high commissioner
At the end of last year, the High Commissioner for Human Rights published the first ever official United Nations report on this problem.
- At the end of last year, the High Commissioner for Human Rights published the first ever official United Nations report on this problem.
Examples
-
The international community should also urge the UN high commissioner for human rights to visit Kashmir, and should urge the secretary general to consider appointing a special envoy to look into abuses in Kashmir.
Academic text (1995) -
The Canadian government had named me high commissioner to the post-apartheid country of Nelson Mandela in August 1998—a posting I had requested.
Fiction book (2002) -
I have to see the high commissioner immediately.
-
The high commissioner is in London, but the acting high commissioner will see you.
-
The high commissioner has the primary responsibility for being "an instrument of conflict prevention at the earliest possible stage," but can also be used to monitor critical situations.
Academic text (1996) -
According to the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, there were 27.4 million migrant refugees in the world in 1995.
Academic text (1998) -
One such mechanism in Europe is the creation of a high commissioner for national minorities under the auspices of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Academic text (1996) -
The Australian government later tried to defuse tensions by consulting with each of the ten ASEAN ambassadors and high commissioners to explain that no action would be taken without consultation.
Academic text (2003) -
During the conference, the high commissioner addressed the need for cooperation among Commonwealth nations.
-
The new high commissioner will focus on strengthening diplomatic relations within the region.
Synonyms
∞
3.7
An official who lives in another country and speaks for their government
348
4.2
A diplomat who represents one country to another and ranks below an ambassador
223
3.6
An official person who represents their country abroad and negotiates with other countries
94
6.6
A person sent by a government to talk and make agreements with another country
An old word for a senior official who a country sends to represent it in another country
A person who a government or organization sends to speak for it at official meetings
A government official sent on a special diplomatic mission with lower rank than an ambassador
A government official who represents their country in another country and ranks below an ambassador
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'high' (senior) and 'commissioner' (a public official) so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a senior official. However, the specific diplomatic/Commonwealth meaning (an ambassadorial role between Commonwealth countries) is conventionalized and not fully predictable from the constituents, so full interpretation requires prior exposure.
Etymology
The noun high commissioner comes from the time of the British Empire and the later group of countries called the Commonwealth. Think of a senior official given a special 'commission' to represent one friendly country to another: high shows senior rank and commissioner shows an official role, so a high commissioner is a top diplomat who serves like an 'ambassador' between Commonwealth countries.