The Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, Shambhu Ram Simkhada, has appointed Paulo Sergio Pinheiro of the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil to serve as the new Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.
Mr. Pinheiro succeeds Rajsoomer Lallah, the former Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, who resigned in November 2000.
Mr. Pinheiro is currently a member of the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. He has formerly served as a member of the International Commission of Inquiry on Togo, and as the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on the situation of human rights in Burundi.
During the course of his initial consultations in Geneva, Mr. Pinheiro established contact with the Permanent Representative of the Union of Myanmar and held meetings with relevant United Nations bodies. "I am very encouraged by recent positive and constructive developments in Myanmar, especially with regard to the progress in the field of national reconciliation," Mr. Pinheiro said today.
According to Mr. Simkhada, Mr. Pinheiro was appointed on the basis of his independence and objectivity following wide-ranging consultations with the Bureau of the Commission on Human Rights as well as with regional groups.
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