Media advisories Special Procedures

UN expert on debt and human rights to visit Argentina

23 September 2022

GENEVA (23 September 2022)– The UN Independent Expert on foreign debt, other financial obligations and human rights, Attiya Waris, will conduct a country visit to Argentina from 26 September to 5 October 2022.

During her 10-day visit, Waris will examine the impact that foreign debt, fiscal issues and economic reforms have had on the human rights situation in the country, and measures taken to address them over the last decade.

The Independent Expert is visiting Argentina at the invitation of the Government. The UN expert will examine matters related to her mandate, as per resolutions 43/10 and 49/15 of the Human Rights Council, notably debt and fiscal issues, from a human rights perspective.

“I look forward to engaging with Argentinian authorities, civil society, private actors and the international community," Waris said. "My visit is aimed at examining how the country has taken on board various international human rights standards in its economic policies.”

The expert will meet with authorities at the federal, provincial and city level. She is due to travel to the provinces of Jujuy and Buenos Aires, and will meet with authorities of the autonomous city of Buenos Aires as well.

Waris will hold a press conference on 5 October at 11 a.m. to share her preliminary findings at the Salon Rojo of the Law Faculty of the University of Buenos Aires, Av. Pres. Figueroa Alcorta, 2263, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, planta principal. Access will be strictly limited to accredited journalists. Journalists will need to email: natalia.montagna@un.org to register for the press conference.

The Independent Expert will submit a report including her findings and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council's 52nd session in March 2023.

Ms Attiya Waris (Kenya) took up the function of Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights on 1 August 2021. She holds a PhD in Law and is a specialist in Fiscal Law, Policy and Development. Ms Waris teaches at the Law School, University of Nairobi, Kenya and has previously taught in South Africa, Rwanda, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. Ms Waris has researched and published on global and regional issues. She published 'Tax and Development’ (2013) offering links between tax and human rights and her more recent publication ‘Financing Africa’ is the first publication globally to map out African fiscal systems.

More information on the work of the mandate.

Follow the Independent Expert’s work on Twitter: @IEfinanceHRs

The Independent Experts and Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Comprising the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, Special Procedures 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.

For more information and media requests during the visit, please contact: Federica Donati (federica.donati1@un.org / +41 78 654 04 87) or Tamar Hahn (hahnt@un.org, phone +5491126460611)

For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Renato Rosario de Souza (renato.rosariodesouza@un.org) (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org)

Follow news related to the UN's independent human rights experts on Twitter: @UN_SPExperts

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UN expert on debt and human rights to visit Argentina

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