First country mission by the new UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan

GENEVA (12 May 2015) – The newly appointed Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, will conduct his first mission to the Sudan from 13 to 23 May 2015, to assess and verify the situation of human rights with the view to making recommendations on technical assistance and capacity-building for addressing human rights in the country*.

During his ten-day mission, Mr. Nononsi will visit Khartoum and Darfur. He will meet with Government officials, civil society representatives, members of the diplomatic corps and UN agencies.

At the end of his visit, on Thursday 21 May, the Independent Expert will hold a press conference at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office in Khartoum at 12:00 pm. Access to the press conference is strictly limited to journalists.

The UN Independent Expert on Sudan will present his findings and recommendations at the UN Human Rights Council 30st session in September 2015.

(*) Check the last report on Sudan by the previous Independent Expert (A/HRC/27/69), September 2014: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?m=95&m=172
Mr. Aristide Nononsi (Benin) was designated as the new Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Sudan by the UN Human Rights Council in 2015. Mr. Nononsi has a doctorate in law and is a specialist in international law, human rights and development, with extensive experience in international and African organizations. Mr. Nononsi was executive director of the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), and worked for the Centre for Development Area Studies at Mc Gill University, the African Development Bank and the International Labour Organization.

The Independent Experts 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 independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council 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.

UN Human Rights, Country Page – Sudan: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/SDIndex.aspx

For more information and press inquiries, please contact:
In Khartoum (during the visit): Mr. Ayman Suliman (+249 912179766 / suliman37@un.org)
In Geneva (before and after the visit): Mr. Dieudonne Munyinga (+41 22 928 9231 / dmunyinga@ohchr.org) or write to iesudan@ohchr.org

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)  

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