UN expert to visit Bangladesh island of Bhashan Chat

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Myanmar: UN expert to visit Bangladesh island of Bhashan Char

GENEVA (23 January 2019) - The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, will visit the Bangladesh island of Bhashan Char on Thursday, 24 January. The Bangladesh Government has been developing the island and says that it is planning to relocate Rohingya refugees there.

Lee, who is currently conducting an official visit to Myanmar’s neighbours Thailand and Bangladesh, incorporated the visit to the island with the approval of the Government.

Lee’s news conference will now be held on 25 January at 5pm at Le Meridien Hotel, Dhaka. Access is strictly limited to journalists.

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Yanghee Lee (Republic of Korea) was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2014 as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. She is independent from any government or organization and serves in her individual capacity. Ms. Lee served as member and chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (2003-2011). She is currently a professor at Sungkyunwan University, Seoul, and serves on the Advisory Committee of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Ms. Lee is the founding President of International Child Rights Center.

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. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.

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