5 March 2004
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, will visit Colombia at the invitation of the Government from 8 to 17 March 2004.
With this visit, Mr. Stavenhagen aims to gain a better understanding of the complex and difficult situation indigenous peoples face in Colombia. The Special Rapporteur, along with relevant parties in the country, will be focusing particular attention on such issues as the situation of the indigenous displaced as a result of the violence in Colombia or due to development activities, and on the difficulties in protecting effectively the basic human rights of the indigenous in the country. More broadly, Mr. Stavenhagen will explore with the Government, indigenous communities, civil society, the United Nations team in Colombia and other international partners, how to enhance national and international responses to the plight of the indigenous in the country.
The Special Rapporteur is expected to visit several communities in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Department of Cesar, the Departments of Putumayo and Cauca as well as Colombia’s capital, Bogotá. In that city on 8 March, Mr. Stavenhagen will participate in a round table discussion on the occasion of International Women’s Day on the situation of indigenous women and the promotion and protection of their human rights. The Rapporteur will also meet with the Ombudsman, several representatives from the Colombian Congress and others relevant actors on the latest developments concerning his methods of work and thematic research as well as on the key role of national institutions in promoting the human rights of indigenous peoples.
Before leaving the country, the Special Rapporteur will hold a press conference organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bogotá on Tuesday, 16 March. The Rapporteur’s findings and recommendations will be presented in preliminary form to the sixtieth session of the Commission on Human Rights in April. His full report will be submitted to the Commission at its sixty-first session.