INFO NOTE ON UN SPECIAL PROCEDURES – OCTOBER 2019
Summary
This issue includes:
Call for inputs: Water and sanitation; Privacy; Environment; Human rights defenders; Poverty; Food; Freedom of opinion and expression; Racism.
Upcoming country visitsmissions carried out by UN Special Procedure mandate holders to assess the situation of human rights in a specific country. During their missions, they will meet with national and local authorities, national human rights institutions, as well as with NGOs, civil society, and survivors of human rights violations. Findings, conclusions and recommendations of such missions are published in reports to the Human Rights Council.: Argentina, Armenia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Georgia, Ghana, Kenya, Malta, Mozambique, Nepal, Poland, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Ukraine.
Download the October 2019 info note on Special Procedures
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Call for inputs
| Mandate | Call | Deadline | Additional Info |
| Special Rapporteur on water and sanitation | Private Sector Participation: Online bilateral consultations on 18 and 25 Sep, and 2 and 19 Oct (sign-up), a questionnaire (will be available in early Oct), and other opportunities. | 31 Dec 2019 (for the questionnaire) | Read more |
NEW!  Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy |
Consultation on Genderrefers to a social construct which places cultural and social expectations on individuals based on their assigned sex. and Privacy (New York, 30-31 Oct 2019) | NA | Programme Invitation |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on human rights and environment | Researchathon on good practices in implementing the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. | 31 Oct 2019 | Submission form Info Note |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders | Call for inputs for the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders the situation of human rights defenders operating in conflict and post-conflict situations. | 31 Oct 2019 | Call Concept Note E | S | F | A Questionnaire E | S | F | A |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on poverty | Call for submission: Country visit to Spain (27 Jan – 7 Feb 2020). | 1 Nov 2019 | Read more |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on the right to food | Call for submission: Country visit to Zimbabwe (18-28 Nov 2019). | 1 Nov 2019 | Read more |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression | Call for submission: Country visit to Ethiopia (2-9 Dec 2019). | 15 Nov 2019 | Read more |
| NEW! Special Rapporteur on racism | Call for submissions: Thematic report on new information technologies, racial equality, and non-discrimination | 13 Dec 2019 | Read more |
= requests information on LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. persons.
Country visits by the Independent Expert on SOGI
The UN Independent Expert on SOGIabbreviation standing for sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, undertakes 1 to 3 fact-finding country visitsmissions carried out by UN Special Procedure mandate holders to assess the situation of human rights in a specific country. During their missions, they will meet with national and local authorities, national human rights institutions, as well as with NGOs, civil society, and survivors of human rights violations. Findings, conclusions and recommendations of such missions are published in reports to the Human Rights Council. per year.
In 2020, he is going to visit Sri Lanka. Previously, he visited Ukraine (2019), Georgia (2018) and Mozambique (2018). In 2017, his predecessor Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn visited Argentina.
In March 2018, Victor Madrigal-Borloz made 12 country visit requests, and in this section you may find information about current status of the requests. Additionally, on 4 July 2018 Malta invited the Independent Expert to visit their country.
Up-to-date information about country visitsmissions carried out by UN Special Procedure mandate holders to assess the situation of human rights in a specific country. During their missions, they will meet with national and local authorities, national human rights institutions, as well as with NGOs, civil society, and survivors of human rights violations. Findings, conclusions and recommendations of such missions are published in reports to the Human Rights Council. may be found here.
If your country is planned for the Independent Expert’s visit and you wish to engage with ILGA World on this, please contact us ([email protected]).
| Country | Current Status |
| Argentina* | Visit conducted on 1-10 Mar 2017. End of Mission Statement: English – Spanish Press Release: English – Spanish Country visit report: E / F / S / A / C / R |
| Armenia* | Request to postpone (17 April 2018) |
| Burkina Faso | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| Cambodia | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| Georgia* | Visit conducted on 25 Sep to 5 Oct 2018. End of Mission Statement: English – Georgian Press Release: English – Georgian Country visit report: E / F / S / A / C / R |
| Ghana* | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| Kenya* | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| Malta* | Invitation Country Visit (4 Jul 2018) |
| Nepal | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| Mozambique* | Visit conducted on 3-10 Dec 2018. End of Mission Statement: English – Portuguese Press Release: English – Portuguese Country visit report: E / F / S / A / C / R |
| Poland* | Request to postpone (15 May 2018) |
| NEW! Sri Lanka* | Request to postpone to 2020 (2 October 2019). Background note |
| Thailand* | Visit request (26 Mar 2018) |
| Ukraine* | Visit conducted on 30 Apr to 10 May 2019. End of Mission Statement: English Press Release: English – Russian |
* Countries with standing invitations. A standing invitation is an open invitation extended by a Government to all thematic special proceduresindependent human rights experts within the UN Human Rights Council with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective. They are non-paid and elected for 3-year mandates that can be re-conducted for another three years. Special procedures can undertake country visits, and act on individual cases of reported violations by sending communications to States and others. They also engage in advocacy, raise public awareness, provide advice for technical cooperation, and contribute to the development of international human rights standards.
. By extending a standing invitation States announce that they will always accept requests to visit from all Special Proceduresindependent human rights experts within the UN Human Rights Council with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective. They are non-paid and elected for 3-year mandates that can be re-conducted for another three years. Special procedures can undertake country visits, and act on individual cases of reported violations by sending communications to States and others. They also engage in advocacy, raise public awareness, provide advice for technical cooperation, and contribute to the development of international human rights standards.
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Upcoming country visits by other mandates
This information is regularly updated by the OHCHR here. To find outbeing open about their diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex characteristics. how you can support the visits, please contact the respective mandate-holder at their email, available here.
| Country | Mandate | Dates |
| Ecuador | African Descent | 14-18 Oct 2019 |
| Bulgaria | Violence against women |
14-21 Oct 2019 |
| Republic of the Congo | Indigenous Peoples | 14-24 Oct 2019 |
| Gambia | Sale and sexual exploitation of children |
21-29 Oct 2019 |
| Brazil | Albinism | 28 Oct-8 Nov 2019 |
| Qatar | Arbitrary detention | 3-14 Nov 2019 |
| NEW! Iraq | Internally displaced persons | 16-22 Nov 2019 |
| NEW! Zimbabwe | Food | 18-28 Nov 2019 |
| NEW! China | Older persons |
23 Nov-3 Dec 2019 |
| Qatar | Racism |
24 Nov – 1 Dec 2019 |
| NEW! Fiji | Health | 28 Nov-3 Dec 2019 |
| Ecuador | Violence against women | 29 Nov – 9 Dec 2019 |
| Benin | Water and sanitation | 29 Nov – 12 Dec 2019 |
| NEW! Ethiopia | Freedom of opinion and expression | 2-9 Dec 2019 |
| Brazil | Toxic waste | 2-13 Dec 2019 |
| Greece | Arbitrary detention | 2-13 Dec 2019 |
| NEW! Mali | Enforced disappearances | 4-11 Dec 2019 |
| NEW! Qatar | Education | 8-16 Dec 2019 |
| Qatar | Slavery | 13-20 Jan 2020 |
| Peru | Human rights defenders |
21 Jan – 3 Feb 2020 |
| Italy | Food | 22-31 Jan 2020 |
| Spain | Extreme poverty |
27 Jan – 7 Feb 2020 |
| NEW! Paraguay | Sale of children | 10-18 Feb 2020 |
| Malaysia | Freedom of religion |
26 Mar – 8 Apr 2020 |
= Mandate frequently considers LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. issues.