The United Nations Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Aristide Nononsi*, will carry out his third mission to the country from 10 to 22 February 2017.
A press statement by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. states that Ninonsi’s mission is to assess the efforts undertaken by the Sudanese Government to comply with its international human rights obligations.
“I will follow up on the implementation by the Government of the Sudan of its human rights obligations, in light of the recommendations made to the Sudan by all human rights mechanisms, including those contained in myandnbsp;report of September 2016andnbsp;to the Human Rights Council,” Nononsi said.
The UN announcement says that the Independent Expert will meet with relevant stakeholders, including the Sudanese authorities, civil society actors, academia, community leaders, members of the diplomatic corps, and UN entities in order to discuss the steps undertaken by the authorities to improve the human rights situation.
“This exchange of information will allow me to identify key challenges, as well as technical and capacity building needs that require to be addressed in order for the Government to fulfil its human rights obligations,” Nononsi added.
The human rights expert, who visits Sudan at the invitation of the Government, will hold meetings in Khartoum and Darfur. In addition, he will undertake field visits to Sorotony and El Geneina in the Darfur region.
On Wednesday 22 February, the Independent Expert will his preliminary observations on the visit with the media. He will present his findings and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2017.
* Aristide Nononsi (Benin) was designated as the new Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Sudan by the UN Human Rights Council in 2014. Nononsi has a doctorate in law and is a specialist in international law, human rights and development, with extensive experience in international and African organizations. Nononsi was executive director of the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), and worked for the Centre for Development Area Studies at Mc Gill University, the African Development Bank and the International Labour Organization.
The Independent Experts are part of what is known as theandnbsp;Special Proceduresandnbsp;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 independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council 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.