Human rights: New UN Special Rapporteur on Cambodia launches
her first official country visit
GENEVA / PHNOM PENH (13 May 2015) – The newly appointed
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia,
Rhona Smith, will carry out her first official country visit from 18 to 22 May
2015, to gather first-hand information on the current human rights situation in
Cambodia.
Ms. Smith was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in
March 2015 to monitor, report and advise on the situation of human rights in
Cambodia, succeeding Surya P.Subedi, who completed his six-year term on the
mandate on 30 April 2015.
The new independent expert has long practical experience in
human rights education and capacity building, latterly in Cambodia. She also
has an established academic career and has published on the UN human rights
system, as well as human rights at regional and national levels.
“I am looking forward to my first visit to Cambodia as the
UN Special Rapporteur, and to engaging in constructive dialogues with the
Government and people of Cambodia on the promotion and protection of human
rights,” she said.
“I intend to meet with a broad cross-section of government
and society in order to better understand the human rights situation in
Cambodia,” Ms. Smith added.
The Special Rapporteur undertakes regular visits or missions
to Cambodia at the invitation of the Government and reports annually to the
Human Rights Council.
The expert will submit her first report, following this
country visit, and thereafter will present it to the 30th session of the Human
Rights Council in September 2015.
Ms. Smith will hold a press conference at the end of her
visit, on Friday 22 May at 3 p.m. at the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), 10
Street 302, Boeung Keng Kang 1, in Phnom Penh. Access to the press conference
is strictly limited to journalists.
ENDS
Professor Rhona Smith (United Kingdom) was appointed by the
United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2015, succeeding Professor Surya
P. Subedi, who completed his six-year term on the mandate in March 2015. The
mandate of the Special Rapporteur derives from the Paris Peace Accords
Agreement on a comprehensive political settlement of the Cambodian conflict.
Ms. Smith is a Professor of international human rights in the United Kingdom.
Ms. Smith has also been a visiting professor at Pannasastra University in
Cambodia where she worked on designing and developing course curricula for the
re-launch of Cambodia’s first master level program in 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 – Cambodia:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/KHIndex.aspx and http://cambodia.ohchr.org
For additional information and media requests, please
contact:
In Phnom Penh: Ms. Bushra Rahman, (+855 12 790 178 /
brahman@ohchr.org)
In Geneva: Ms. Olga Nakajo (+41 791096872 / +81 12777831 /
onakajo@ohchr.org) or write to srcambodia@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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