UN Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan to start second mission to the country

GENEVA (12 April 2016) – The United Nations Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, will carry out his second mission to the country from 14 to 28 April 2016 to assess the efforts being undertaken by the Sudanese Government to comply with its international human rights obligations.

“My assessment will focus on the protection of basic fundamental rights of Sudanese people, including civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights, with particular emphasis on the situation of internally displaced persons,” noted the Independent Expert.

During his fifteen-day mission, the UN expert will continue his engagement with the Sudanese Government to assess, verify and report on the situation of human rights with a view to making recommendations on technical assistance and capacity-building for addressing human rights in the country.

“I will meet with relevant stakeholders to follow-up on the implementation of recommendations made to Sudan by all human rights mechanisms, including those made by my predecessors and those contained in my report* of September 2015 to the Human Rights Council,” Mr. Nononsi added.

The human rights expert, who visits Sudan at the invitation of the Government, will travel to Khartoum, Darfur and South Kordofan, where he will meet with Government officials, representatives of civil society organizations, students, academia, members of the diplomatic corps, and UN agencies.

On Thursday 28 April at 2:30 pm, the Independent Expert will hold a press conference at the United Nations Development Programme Office (UNDP) in Khartoum, to share with the media his preliminary observations on the visit. Access to the press conference is strictly limited to journalists.

The Independent Expert on Sudan will present his findings and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2016.

(*) Check the last report on Sudan by the previous Independent Expert (A/HRC/30/60), September 2015: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?m=172

ENDS

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. Khaled Moualem (+249 (0) 912 100 501/ khaled.moualem@one.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 – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)  

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