UN expert on debt, human rights to visit Sri Lanka

Colombo: The United Nation’s Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, will pay an official visit to Sri Lanka in September at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government, the media reported on Friday.

Bohoslavsky said his visit is aimed at collecting first-hand information and examining questions related to debt and other financial obligations from a human rights standpoint, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The purpose of the mission is to identify good practices, challenges and potential gaps to be addressed,” he said.

“An important objective of my visit is to study the effects of public debt and related polices on the full enjoyment of human rights,” he added.

During Bohoslavsky’s visit from September 3-11, he will pay specific attention to the incorporation of human rights standards in international development financing, microfinance, and efforts deployed to prevent and combat illicit financial flows in the country.

“I look forward to engaging with the authorities of Sri Lanka, civil society, academics, the international community and other relevant stakeholders,” Bohoslavsky said.

The Independent Expert will submit a comprehensive report about his visit to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2019.

[source_without_link]IANS[/source_without_link]