MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UN Human Rights High Commissioner visits Peru and Uruguay

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein visit to Uruguay includes meetings with President Vázquez, cabinet ministers, the presidents of Congress and the judiciary

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein will visit Peru and Uruguay this week to discuss progress and challenges concerning human rights in these countries. He will also launch a joint plan of action by the UN Human Rights Office and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to address the protection of human rights defenders in the Americas.

 Zeid will be in Peru on Monday and Tuesday, 23/24 October, at the invitation of the government, making the first visit to the country by a High Commissioner for Human Rights. He will meet high-level officials, including President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, the Cabinet Chief and several ministers, as well as the presidents of Congress and the Supreme Court. He will also meet civil society representatives and business leaders.

The High Commissioner’s visit to Uruguay, 25/27 October, also at the invitation of the Government, includes meetings with President Tabaré Vázquez, several cabinet ministers, the presidents of Congress and the judiciary, and civil society representatives.

On 25 October, as part of the IACHR's (Inter American Commission on Human Rights) 165th ordinary period of sessions, Zeid and IACHR President Francisco José Eguiguren Praeli will unveil their organizations' “Joint Action Mechanism to Contribute to the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in the Americas” at a public event in Montevideo at Palacio Santos, Avenida 18 de Julio 1177. The High Commissioner is also due to meet civil society organizations from across the Americas.