Mexico: UN expert on internally displaced persons to conduct official visit

GENEVA (25 August 2022) – UN expert Cecilia Jimenez-Damary will conduct an official visit to Mexico from 29 August to 9 September, to assess the human rights situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country.

“Internal displacement due to violence or disasters has long existed in Mexico although only recently recognised,” said Jimenez-Damary, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs. “It is estimated that there are currently thousands of IDPs in the country.”

“This visit provides me with a unique and timely opportunity to gather first-hand information on the human rights situation of IDPs in the country, particularly to engage with the Government and other stakeholders on prevention, response and durable solutions to internal displacement,” the expert said.

As part of the visit, the UN Special Rapporteur will examine the legal, policy and institutional frameworks in place to protect the rights of IDPs, and relevant bills currently under review.

Jimenez-Damary will visit Mexico City and the states of Chihuahua, Chiapas and Guerrero. She will meet senior Government officials, UN and other human rights, humanitarian and development organisations, civil society, IDPs and communities affected by internal displacement during her visit.

The UN expert will present her preliminary observations at the end of her visit on 9 September at a press conference, which will take place at 12:00 the United Nations Building, Montes Urales, 440, Lomas de Chapultepec, Miguel Hidalgo, 11000 Mexico City. Access to the press conference will be strictly limited to journalists.

A comprehensive report on the Special Rapporteur’s visit will be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2023.

ENDS

Ms. Cecilia Jimenez-Damary was appointed Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons by the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2016. A human rights lawyer specialized in forced displacement and migration, she has over three decades of experience in NGO human rights advocacy. Her mandate, which covers all countries, has been recently renewed by resolution 50/6 of the Human Rights Council.

As a Special Rapporteur, she is 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 UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement