GENEVA/TUNIS (15 July 2022) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo will conduct a country visit to the Republic of Tunisia from 18 to 29 July 2022. The Special Rapporteur will be visiting Tunisia at the invitation of the Government. He will travel to different regions and cities in the country and meet state officials at the national and municipal level, civil society organisations and individuals working on human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, and other relevant stakeholders and rights holders. The UN expert will examine matters related to his mandate, particularly concerning the key elements of water and sanitation rights: availability, accessibility, affordability, quality and safety, and acceptability. He is also interested in analysing water governance mechanisms and the impact of climate change on Tunisia’s hydrologic map. The Special Rapporteur will share his preliminary observations at a press conference on Thursday, 28 July 2022, at 3.00 PM local time at the Golden Tulip El Mechtel Hotel, Av. Ouled Hafouz, Tunis 1005. Access will be strictly limited to journalists. A final report containing findings and recommendations will be presented at the 54th session of the Human Rights Council in September 2023. Mr. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo is the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. He was appointed by the Human Rights Council in September 2020. From 2016 to 2019, Mr. Arrojo-Agudo served as an elected member of the Spanish Parliament. He was Professor in the Area of Fundamentals of Economic Analysis at the University of Zaragoza from 1989 to 2011, and has been professor emeritus since 2011. During the last three decades, he has focused his research on economics and water management, publishing his work in more than 100 scientific articles and in 70 books. The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. UN Human Rights, country page: Tunisia For more information and media requests please contact: maria.acostalazo@un.org For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts please contact Renato de Souza (+41 79 444 7578 /renato.rosariodesouza@un.org) or Dharisha Indraguptha (+41 79 506 1088 / dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts. Concerned about the world we live in? Then stand up for someone"s rights today. #Standup4humanrights and visit the website at http://www.standup4humanrights.org