30 May 2003
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, will visit Mexico at the invitation of the Government from 2 to 18 June 2003.
With this visit, Mr. Stavenhagen aims to better understand the situation of indigenous peoples in Mexico through dialogue with the Government, indigenous communities, civil society, the United Nations team in Mexico and other international partners. The visit is also a good opportunity to explore how to enhance national and international responses to the plight of the indigenous in the country.
The Special Rapporteur’s programme includes meetings with senior Government officials; regional and local authorities; members of indigenous communities, representatives of humanitarian, human rights and development non-governmental organizations; academic institutions, and representatives of the international community.
The Special Rapporteur is expected to visit several communities in Chihuahua, Sonora, Jalisco, Oaxaca and Chiapas, as well as in the Federal District, where he will also meet with regional and local authorities, indigenous representatives and groups directly assisting indigenous peoples.
Mr. Stavenhagen will also participate in a round-table discussion, in Mexico City, on the latest developments regarding the promotion and protection of the human rights of indigenous peoples organized by several academic institutions. The Rapporteur will in addition meet with members of the National Human Rights Commission and others 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.
The Rapporteur’s findings and recommendations will be presented to the sixtieth session of the Commission on Human Rights next spring.
For further information, please contact the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, tel: +41 22 917 94 13; or the Office of the Representative of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico City, tel: + 52 55 5263 9779