UN expert visits Bolivia to assess public finance and human rights

Spanish

GENEVA (30 April 2019) – The UN expert on foreign debt and human rights, Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, will visit Bolivia from 6 to 15 May to examine the Government’s efforts to realise human rights through public finance.

“Bolivia sets a unique example of State-led development. Over the past decade, the country has made impressive strides in reducing poverty and inequality through targeted policy measures increasing tax revenue and public investment,” said Bohoslavsky.

“A number of challenges still remain in ensuring that the benefits of economic growth and development are sustainably translated into the enjoyment of human rights by all. I am keen to identify good practices that other countries can draw on, as well as to constructively discuss with the authorities how such challenges can be addressed.

“During my visit, I plan to examine a range of issues at the intersection of public finance and human rights, including the redistributive impact of fiscal and tax policies, and the effects of corruption and other illicit financial flows on the realisation of human rights. Another issue to be considered will be the impact of infrastructure projects financed by multilateral and bilateral development banks on the enjoyment of human rights,” the UN expert said.

This is only the second visit to Bolivia by a UN independent expert in the past decade. Bohoslavsky will meet with Government officials, international organisations, multilateral development banks, diplomats, academic experts and representatives of civil society in La Paz and Sucre.

The Independent Expert will hold a press conference at the end of his visit on 15 May 2019 at 11 am (La Paz time, GMT-4) to share his preliminary findings and recommendations. The press conference will take place at Auditorio event center (Calle Fernando Guachalla No. 421, La Paz) and will be also live-streamed on the Independent Expert’s webpage.

The final report on the visit will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in February 2020.

ENDS

Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky (Argentina) was appointed as Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and human rights by the United Nations Human Rights Council on 8 May 2014.  He has previously worked as a Sovereign Debt Expert for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) where he coordinated an Expert Group on Responsible Sovereign Lending and Borrowing. He is independent of any government or organization and serves in his individual capacity.

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.

For more information and media requests, please contact:

During the visit: Robert Brockmann (United Nations Information Center in Bolivia, tel. +5912 2624511 / brockmann@un.org)

Before and after the visit: Junko Tadaki (+41 22 917 9298 / jtadaki@ohchr.org) or Frédérique Bourque (+41 22 917 9946 / fbourque@ohchr.org), or write to ieforeigndebt@ohchr.org

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