UN expert on genocide prevention travels to West Africa

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Adviser on the prevention of genocide is travelling to West Africa to identify how national and sub-regional bodies can help prevent the scourge.

Due to poor weather, Francis Deng’s visit was delayed and he is now scheduled to arrive in the region tomorrow, it was announced today.

He will stop in Guinea, Nigeria and Ghana, where he will discuss his mandate with government officials, UN officials on the ground and representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Mr. Deng, a Sudanese scholar and advocate, was named to the post by Mr. Ban in 2007 to collect information on serious violations of human rights that could lead to genocide and to bring potential genocidal situations to the attention of the Security Council.

After holding a range of positions in both the UN and the Sudanese Government, he served as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from 1992-2004.