Human rights: New UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine launches first official mission

GENEVA (8 July 2016) – United Nations Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk will undertake his first official mission from 10 to 15 July to gather first-hand information on the current human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. He will visit Amman, Jordan, due to Israel’s lack of response to his request to travel to the OPT.

Mr. Lynk is the new independent expert designated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.

“I am very much looking forward to meeting with the many representatives of civil society, government officials and UN officers to learn more about recent developments in the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory,” he said. “Their work is invaluable, and it will shape my understanding of what is happening on the ground.”

During his six-day mission, the Special Rapporteur will discuss the human rights situation across the Occupied Palestinian Territory with a focus on gathering evidence and information that will inform his first report.

The Special Rapporteur will present his first report to the UN General Assembly in October 2016 on his findings and conclusions.

In 2016, the UN Human Rights Council designated Mr. Michael Lynk (Canada) as the seventh Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. The mandate was originally established in 1993 by the then UN Commission on Human Rights. Professor Lynk is Associate Professor of Law at Western University in London, Ontario, where he teaches labour law, constitutional law and human rights law. Before becoming an academic, he practiced labour law and refugee law for a decade in Ottawa and Toronto. As well, he worked for the UN on human rights and refugee issues in Jerusalem. Professor Lynk was written widely on labour law and human rights issues in Canada, and he has also published articles on the application of international law to the Middle East conflict. Learn more, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-palestine

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.

Check the Special Rapporteur’s last report to the UN Human Rights Council: http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/regular-sessions/session31/list-reports

UN Human Rights, country pages:
Occupied Palestinian Territory: http://www.ohchr.org/en/countries
Israel: http://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/israel

For more information and media requests, please contact Katharine Marshall (+41 22 917 9695 / kmarshall@ohchr.org) or write to sropt@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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