GENEVA/ NEW YORK (29 October 2021) – UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris is due to undertake a six-day visit to Mali starting 1 November to engage with a wide range of interlocutors on the human rights situation in Mali and the broader Sahel region. During her visit, she will meet with senior government officials, the Head of the African Union Mission to Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL), senior officials from the G5-Sahel including the executive secretary and the commander of the Joint Force, members of the diplomatic community, as well as with the national human rights institution and other entities. The Assistant Secretary-General will also hold discussions with the leadership of MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, and other UN officials based in the country. She will also engage with various human rights and civil society organizations, and with community leaders and youth associations, as well as with religious and traditional authorities. At the end of the mission, Assistant Secretary-General Brands Kehris will issue a statement addressing some of the key issues arising during her visit to Mali.