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

French

GENEVA/NIAMEY (28 September 2018) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Felipe González Morales, will visit Niger from 1 to 8 October 2018 to assess the country’s current migration laws, policies, practices and agreements, and their impact on migrant women, men and children.

“In the past years Niger has become a major transit country on the trans-Saharan migration route,” González Morales said. “Understanding how Niger is responding to the current complex dynamics of irregular migration in the region, and in particular to the growing number of migrants, including children, expelled from neighbouring countries, will be an essential part of my visit.

“This is also an opportunity for me to understand the impact of return policies on the human rights of migrants, and the measures adopted to prevent violations and protect migrants, including those in vulnerable situations.”

During his eight-day mission, the independent human rights expert will meet with high level government officials responsible for migration and border management, international organisations and donors, the National Human Rights Commission, civil society and migrants themselves in Niamey and Agadez. He will also visit centres for migrants, refugees camps, and ghettos.

At the end of the mission, González Morales will share his preliminary conclusions and recommendations at a media conference on 8 October 2018 at 15h00, at the UN House, 428 avenue du fleuve Niger, Niamey. Access to the press conference is strictly limited to journalists.

The Special Rapporteur will present a comprehensive country mission report to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2019.

ENDS

Mr. Felipe González Morales (Chile) was appointed Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants in June 2017 by the UN Human Rights Council, for an initial period of three years. As a Special Rapporteur, he is independent from any government or organization and serves in his individual capacity. He is Professor of International Law at the Diego Portales University, in Santiago, Chile, where he is also the Director of a Master’s programme in International Human Rights Law.

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.

UN Human Rights country page – Niger

For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Niamey (during the visit):Amadou Issoufou (+227 96 53 98 06 / saleyam70@gmail.com)
In Geneva (before and after the visit): Nekane Lavin (+41 22 917 9402 / nlavin@ohchr.org) Renate Bucher (+41 22 917 9470 / rbucher@ohchr.org)

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact: Mr. Jeremy Laurence, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+41 22 917 9383 / jlaurence@ohchr.org)

This year is the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN on 10 December 1948. The Universal Declaration – translated into a world record 500 languages – is rooted in the principle that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” It remains relevant to everyone, every day. In honour of the 70th anniversary of this extraordinarily influential document, and to prevent its vital principles from being eroded, we are urging people everywhere to Stand Up for Human Rights: www.standup4humanrights.org.