Top UN rights official set to begin three-city European tour

The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, is set to embark tomorrow on a tour of Belgium, France and Spain, where he will meet with senior officials to discuss a range of pressing human rights issues.

The High Commissioner is expected to meet officials at the highest level to discuss the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the forthcoming fifty-ninth session of the Commission on Human Rights. Other thematic issues on the agenda include the right to development, women’s rights and civilians in armed conflicts, and the High Commissioner’s ideas on the rule of law.

At his first stop in Brussels, Mr. Vieira de Mello will meet with the European Commission to discuss on-going projects and their follow-up. In what will be his first official trip to Paris on Wednesday, and Madrid later in the week, he is scheduled to hold discussions on matters of common interest, human rights and fund-raising. The High Commissioner will also meet with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with a view to reinforcing cooperation on human rights education and promotion, and the protection of journalists, teachers and human rights defenders.