GENEVA - The Working Group on discrimination against women and girls will conduct its first official visit to the Dominican Republic from 22 to 31 July 2024. The independent experts will assess progress and challenges in achieving gender equality and eliminating discrimination. The experts will examine various aspects of the lives of women and girls, particularly those who encounter multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. The Working Group will visit the country at the invitation of the Government and will hold discussions in Santo Domingo, Dajabón, Boca Chica and Verón. The experts will meet with national and local authorities, women and girls, civil society organisations, UN entities and other relevant stakeholders. The visiting delegation will include Dorothy Estrada Tanck and Claudia Flores, respectively Chairperson and Member of the Working Group. The Working Group will hold a press conference on 31 July 2024, at 11:00 am (local time) at the UN House in Santo Domingo. Access to the press conference will be strictly limited to accredited journalists. The Working Group will present its full report to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2025. For media registration for the Press Conference, please contact Yanela Zapata at yanela.zapatagarcia@un.org The Working Group on discrimination against women and girls was created by the Human Rights Council in 2010 to identify, promote and exchange views, in consultation with States and other actors, on good practices related to the elimination of laws that discriminate against women. The Group is also tasked with developing a dialogue with States and other actors on laws that have a discriminatory impact where women are concerned. The Working Group is composed of five independent experts: Dorothy Estrada Tanck (Chair), Laura Nyirinkindi (Vice-Chair), Claudia Flores, Ivana Krstić, and Haina Lu. The Working Groups 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 further inquiries and media requests, please contact: wgdawprofessionalteam@ohchr.org For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts, please contact Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) or John Newland (john.newland@un.org) Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts.