GENEVA (11 November 2021) – The UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Fernand de Varennes, will visit Paraguay from 14 to 25 November 2022. The expert will be looking at legislation, programmes, policies and practices that affect people belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, including effective political participation, education, access to justice and administration of criminal justice. De Varennes will also analyse measures to addresshate crimes and hate speech, particularly in social media, targeting minorities. “I am looking forward to gaining first-hand insight and better understanding the issues related to minority groups in Paraguay, including through meetings with members of minorities,” he said. “I also aim to identify good practices as well as areas for improvement in Paraguay’s efforts to ensure full implementation of its international human rights commitments relevant to minorities.” The Special Rapporteur will travel to Asunción, Filadelfia, Emboscada y San Lorenzo. He will meet government officials at the national, departmental and municipal levels, representatives of civil society and members of minorities, including of the Afro-descent and deaf communities. At the end of his visit, on 25 November, de Varennes will share his preliminary findings and recommendations at a press release conference at the Hotel Asunción Guarani, Oliva esquina Independencia Nacional, Asunción, at 11:00 local time. Access will be strictly limited to journalists. The Special Rapporteur will present a comprehensive report of his visit to a forthcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council. ENDS The Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Dr Fernand de Varennes, is Extraordinary Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria (South Africa), Adjunct Professor at the National University of Ireland-Galway (Ireland), and Cheng Yu Tung Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong (China) and Visiting Professor, Université catholique de Lyon, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, and National University of Ireland, Galway. He was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues by the Human Rights Council and assumed his functions on 1 August 2017. His work and commitment focusses on the human rights of minorities, as well as the prevention of ethnic conflicts, the rights of migrants, the relationship between ethnicity, human rights and democracies, and the use of federalism and other forms of autonomy arrangements to balance competing cultural interests. Fernand de Varennes holds degrees from the Université de Moncton (LLB, 1988), the London School of Economics and Political Science (LLM, 1992), and the Rijksuniversiteit Limburg (becoming in 1996 the University of Maastricht, Dr Juris, 1996). 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. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work. For inquiries and media requests, please contact: Leticia Sakai (+4122 917 28 71/ leticia.sakai@un.org). For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Renato Rosairo De Souza (renato.rosariodesouza@un.org) and Dharisha Indraguptha (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 web page at http://www.standup4humanrights.org