The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, will undertake an official mission to Rwanda from 5 to 13 July 2012, at the invitation of the Government.

During her nine-day visit, Ms Rolnik will meet with Government officials, human rights groups and other stakeholders. “This will be a great opportunity to look into how the most densely populated nation in Africa is managing land and housing issues in a way that takes into account equality and non-discrimination,” the Special Rapporteur said.

“It is paramount that allocation of land and housing does not result in injustices that impede the reconciliation that Rwanda has long been striving for,” she added.

At the end of her visit, on Friday 14 July 2012 at 10 am, the Special Rapporteur will hold a press conference at the Mille Collines Hotel, Kigali, Rwanda, to present the preliminary findings of her mission.

Raquel Rolnik (Brazil) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context by the United Nations Human Rights Council in May 2008. Her mandate was renewed in 2011.

Learn more, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Housing/Pages/HousingIndex.aspx

OHCHR – Country Page: Rwanda:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/RWIndex.aspx

For further information and media requests, please contact:

In Rwanda: Boris-Ephrem Tchoumavi (Tel: +41 79-444 5188 / Email: srhousing@ohchr.org)
In Geneva: Laure-Anne Courdesse (Tel: ++41 22 917 9368 / Email: lcourdesse@ohchr.org).

For media requests related to other UN independent experts, please contact Xabier Celaya (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org).

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For use of the information media; not an official record

HR12/158E