GENEVA (6 November 2023) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development, Surya Deva, will conduct an official visit to Viet Nam from 6 to 15 November 2023. During his first country visit since starting his mandate in May 2023, Deva will assess the country’s efforts in implementing the right to development, promoting the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals and identify remaining challenges. He will also examine how the Government promotes and ensures effective participation of people in policies, processes and decisions related to economic, social, political and cultural development. He aims to provide support to the Government in strengthening its legislation, policies and practices in line with the 1986 Declaration on the Right to Development and other relevant standards. The Special Rapporteur will visit Ha Noi, Ha Tinh and Ho Chi Minh. Deva will hold a press conference on 15 November 2023 from 14:00 to 16:00 at Fortuna Hotel, 6B Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Ha Noi, Viet Nam. Access will be strictly limited to journalists. The expert will present his report to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2024. ENDS *Mr. Surya Deva took up the role of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development on 1 May 2023. Deva is a Professor at the Macquarie Law School and Director of the Centre for Environmental Law at Macquarie University, Australia. He conducts research in the areas of business and human rights, comparative constitutional law, international human rights law, sustainable development, climate change, and gender equality. Deva served as a member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (2016-22). He has advised UN agencies, governments, national human rights institutions, multinational corporations, trade unions and civil society organisations on issues related to business and human rights. 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 - Viet Nam For more information and media requests please contact: Antoanela Pavlova (antoanela.pavlova@un.org) or hrc-sr-development@un.org For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts, please contact Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) or Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts; see news related to the Special Rapporteur on the right to development on @UNSRdevelopment 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