UN human rights expert to assess the situation of migrants in Australia

GENEVA (22 September 2014) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, will visit Australia from 27 September to 9 October 2015 to assess the migration programmes, policies and laws developed by the Australian authorities in recent years.

“Understanding how Australia manages its overall migration policies, and their impact on the human rights of migrants, will be an essential part of my visit,’’ Mr. Crépeau said announcing his first information-gathering visit to the country.

During his 13-day visit to Australia, the independent expert will meet with a range of government officials responsible for border management, civil society, trade unions, the Australian National Human Rights Commission, international organisations, and migrants themselves, to discuss the complex management of Australia’s borders.

The Special Rapporteur will carry out his meetings in Canberra, Melbourne, Darwin and Sydney, as well as in detention centres.

At the end of the mission, the UN Special Rapporteur will share his preliminary conclusions at a press conference on 9 October 2015 at 11:30am, at the UN Information Centre, Level 1, 7 National Circuit Barton, Canberra. Access to the press conference is strictly limited to journalists.

The country mission report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2016.

ENDS

Mr. François Crépeau (Canada) was appointed Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants in June 2011 by the UN Human Rights Council, for an initial period of three years. As Special Rapporteur, he is independent from any government or organization and serves in his individual capacity. Mr. Crépeau is also Full Professor at the Faculty of Law of McGill University, in Montréal, where he holds the Hans and Tamar Oppenheimer Chair in Public International Law and is scientific director of the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism. Learn more, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-migrants

The Special Rapporteurs 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.

Read the International Convention for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families: http://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-convention-protection-rights-all-migrant-workers

UN Human Rights, Country Page – Australia: http://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/australia

For more information and media requests, please contact Julia Dean (+61 02 62709205 (m), +61 433 944 427 or / dean@un.org) or Elizabeth Wabuge (+41 79 752 0481 / ewabuge@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)

UN Human Rights, follow us on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unitednationshumanrights
Twitter: http://twitter.com/UNrightswire
Google+ gplus.to/unitednationshumanrights
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/UNOHCHR

Check the Universal Human Rights Index: http://uhri.ohchr.org/en