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Press releases Special Procedures

UN poverty expert to visit Colombia

22 August 2024

GENEVA (22 August 2024) – The Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, will conduct an official visit to Colombia from 26 August to 4 September to examine the government’s efforts to eradicate poverty in the country.

During his visit, the expert will travel to Bogotá, including Soacha and Ciudad Bolivar, Cali and Buenaventura, gathering first-hand information from individuals and communities living in poverty and meeting with national and local government officials, international organisations, human rights defenders and civil society representatives.

He will pay particular attention to the situation of groups disproportionately affected by poverty including women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons, informal workers, young, victims of armed conflict, peasants, and ethnic groups, examining the adequacy of government policies and social protection systems to protect them from poverty, inequality and social exclusion.

The Special Rapporteur will present his preliminary observations and recommendations at a press conference on Wednesday 4 September at 11:00am (local time) at OHCHR headquarters in Colombia: Calle 113 #7ª-45 Torre B, Bogotá. Access will be strictly limited to journalists. To register, please contact Diana Losada: [email protected] / +57 3212841580.

De Schutter will present his final report on the visit to the Human Rights Council in June 2025.

Olivier De Schutter (Belgium) has been the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights since May 2020. He was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council.

Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of the Special Procedures, 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 organisation and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights country page: Colombia

For more information and media requests please contact Patricia Varela ([email protected] / +41 22 928 9234)

For media inquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Dharisha Indraguptha ([email protected])

Follow the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights: @srpoverty

Follow news related to the UN’s other independent human rights experts: @UN_SPExperts

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