GENEVA – The Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic (CAR), Yao Agbetse, is conducting an official visit to the country from 17-27 February 2025. The visit is in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/RES/57/35, which mandated the expert to assess, monitor and report on the situation and make recommendations relating to technical assistance and capacity-building in the field of human rights. During his mission, the expert will meet government officials, representatives of civil society and the UN system, as well as members of the diplomatic community. He will visit localities outside the capital to meet with local stakeholders, including IDPs, and facilitate capacity building programmes and analyse local governance challenges. A press conference will be held at the end of the mission. Agbetse will present a report on his visit to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2025. Mr. Yao Agbetse (Togo), Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic, is a human rights lawyer, researcher and teacher who has devoted the last 25 years of his life to justice and human rights, including the rights of the child. He has implemented human rights programs at the national level and has provided legal and technical advice for the development and monitoring of national human rights laws and policies, particularly in Benin, Côte d"Ivoire, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Togo. He has created a space and tools for dialogue and joint efforts by state actors and CSOs. In the DRC, Côte d"Ivoire and Mali, it has implemented DDR programs, trained army and police chiefs, and provided support to mandate-holders and United Nations operations, including participating in the interactive dialogue under item 10 during sessions of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. He provided first-hand and factual information to UN experts to help them assess human rights challenges in different countries and made specific and workable recommendations to ensure accountability and access to justice. The mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Central African Republic was established by the Human Rights Council on 27 September 2013. Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR. Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/ UN Human Rights, Country Page: Central African Republic For additional information please contact: Isatou Harris (isatou.harris@un.org) For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) or Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) Follow news related to Independent expert on CAR @UNIECAR1 Follow UN independent human rights experts on Twitter: @UN_SPExperts