The human rights situation in Belarus remains a concern for the United Nations, but “constructive engagement” is the way forward, according to the UN’s senior representative in the country.

A UN independent expert said earlier this year that the past two decades there have been characterized by a systemic denial of human rights to citizens.

The eastern European country is in a period of transition as it moves away from an era dominated by its relationship with the former Soviet Union.

Sanaka Samarasinha, the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus, has been talking about some of the changes.

Daniel Dickinson began by asking him how the average Belarusian is faring.

Duration: 3’08”