Before she became Chile's first female president, Michelle Bachelet fled Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet rule as a teenager and sought political asylum in Australia.

Key points: As a 23-year-old medical student, Ms Bachelet was imprisoned under Pinochet's dictatorship

As a 23-year-old medical student, Ms Bachelet was imprisoned under Pinochet's dictatorship The world is ignoring warning signs and needs to tackle the root causes of the refugee crisis

The world is ignoring warning signs and needs to tackle the root causes of the refugee crisis On Australia's Israeli Embassy debate, she says "a two-state solution is the right solution"

Her experience in 1975 was vastly different to the treatment of refugees held on Manus Island and Nauru today, she told the ABC's The World program.

After Australia, she lived in Marxist East Germany for a while before returning to Chile and becoming elected President — twice. Between presidencies, she became the first executive director of UN Women.

Who is Michelle Bachelet? Ms Bachelet fled Pinochet's dictatorship for Australia before becoming Chile's first female president — twice. Read more Read more

This year she was appointed as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, taking over from Jordanian prince Zeid Raad Al Hussein.

It's a position that's been criticised as ineffective, but Ms Bachelet says part of her role is to be "the voice for the voiceless".

In her first interview with the Australian media since taking on her new role, Ms Bachelet spoke about being recognised as one of Australia's first politcal refugees, how she plans to tackle the controversial UN role, as well as her thoughts on Canberra's debate to relocate our Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.

Here are some excerpts of that conversation.

Australia's refugee policy — back then

"I really was very well treated and accepted. At that time, I think Australia had a small population and needed a lot of people. I don't remember much about the refugee [situation] at that time. We only were told that we were the first political refugees that Australia had received — we're talking about 1975. But what Australia had at that time was open doors for migrants."

And now?

"This new position with the offshore processing in Manus Island and Nauru is something that is completely different from what I experienced. As I've been told so many times, this is not something [in line with] international law and according to the convention of refugees. I hope and I would urge the Government of Australia to ensure that all migrants can have their human rights protected and preserved."

Ms Bachelet visits a Somali refugee camp in northern Kenya during her time as head of UN Women. ( Supplied: UN Women Gallery/Flickr )

How does she plan to execute the critiqued role

"The mandate of the High Commissioner is a very complex mandate. On one hand, it has to be the voice of the voiceless, and of course, I will stand up and be the voice of the ones who don't have a voice. But on the other hand, that's not enough. Because we need those people to be able to live in peace with security, with their human rights protected. So I need also to engage governments to do the right thing, to change certain policies or legislations that could be damaging people's situation."

Should Australia move its Israeli embassy?

"I am not going to make any comment on the sovereign decision of a country to decide like that, but I would believe and I, in this case I have my both hats, because Chile — as a country and as a citizen and as a former president — we also always thought that a two-state solution is the right solution. I haven't seen too much progress in the situation of the occupied Palestine territories right now. Gaza is living in sort of a blockade, they're not receiving energy, they don't have water, they don't have enough medical facilities. So when these demonstrations [of recent] happen, and there are people who have been injured, they cannot get out of Gaza to get medical assistance. And many children even, and nurses and journalists, have died. The Gaza situation is one of the ones that really concerns me about human rights violations."

You can watch the full interview on The World tonight at 10:00pm AEDT.