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UN’s top human rights official to visit Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan

UN’s top human rights official to visit Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, will visit the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan in late February and early March, her spokesman announced today.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, will visit the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan in late February and early March, her spokesman announced today.

Mrs. Robinson will travel to Egypt from 27 to 28 February before heading to Bahrain from 1 to 3 March, spokesman José Luis Diaz told reporters in Geneva. The High Commissioner is then scheduled to visit Lebanon from 3 to 5 March, followed by a trip to Kabul from 7 to 9 March and to Pakistan from 10 to 13 March.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Robinson today issued a statement in Geneva welcoming recent constitutional developments in Bahrain. Specifically, she lauded the country’s decision to hold municipal and parliamentary elections this year. “I trust that these significant developments confirm the path chosen by the Kingdom of Bahrain towards the democratic process that was endorsed overwhelmingly in the referendum held last year,” she said.

The High Commissioner added that during her upcoming visit to the country, she hoped to “learn more about these important developments in the democratic process and human rights, including the steps taken to advance women rights.”