GENEVA (5 October 2023) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Paula Gaviria Betancur, will conduct her first official visit to South Sudan from 9 to 20 October 2023.

During her visit, the expert will gather first-hand information on the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country and engage with the Government and other interlocutors on protection, assistance and durable solutions for IDPs, including legal, policy and institutional frameworks.

In addition to Juba, Gaviria Betancur will visit the Unity State, Upper Nile State and Western Bahr el Ghazal, where she will meet with Government officials, UN and other human rights, humanitarian and development partners, civil society and IDPs.

The Special Rapporteur will hold a press conference on Friday, 20 October at 16:00 local time at the UNDP Compound, Plot 21, Ministries Road, Juba. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

The expert will present her report to the Human Rights Council in June 2024.

ENDS

The expert: Paula Gaviria Betancur, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons.

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.