UN expert on Cambodia to conduct official country visit

GENEVA (4 December 2023) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Cambodia, Vitit Muntarbhorn, will conduct an official visit to Cambodia from 4 to 8 December 2023.

The independent expert will use the visit to consult with the new Government on the current human rights situation and future direction.

In Phnom Penh, the Special Rapporteur will meet with the Government, human rights defenders, civil society organisations, youth groups, labour representatives, indigenous and minority groups, journalists and media representatives, academia, members of the diplomatic community, UN agencies and other key stakeholders.

Muntarbhorn will meet with Prime Minister Samdech Moha Bovorthipadi Hun Manet and other Government ministers, during his visit.

ENDS

Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn was appointed as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia in March 2021. Professor Vitit is a Thai law Professor with longstanding experience working pro bono for the UN on human rights. He has helped the UN in a variety of positions, including as former UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Democratic People Republic of Korea, former UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, former Chairperson of the UN appointed Commission of Inquiry on the Ivory Coast, and former member of the UN appointed Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.

The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.