UN expert on Indigenous Peoplesā€™ rights to visit Denmark and Greenland

Illulissat, Greenland.
Illulissat, Greenland. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, JosƩ Francisco Cali Tzay, will carry out an official visit to Denmark and Greenland from 1 to 10 February 2023.

The UN expert will examine a diverse range of issues affecting Indigenous Peoples. They include self-governance, the administration of justice, the situation of children and youth, gender equality, housing. In addition, he will focus on access to health services including mental health, business and human rights, and climate change.

He will visit Copenhagen, Nuuk and Sisimiut, at the invitation of the governments.

Final report in September 2023

Photo: Quais du Polar Lyon/Flickr/Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
The statue of Hans Egede towers over Nuuk the Capital of Greenland. Photo: Quais du Polar Lyon/Flickr/Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Cali Tzay will meet with Government officials, indigenous organisations, civil society, academics and UN representatives. He will also visit communities to discuss their priorities and concerns.

The Special Rapporteur will hold aĀ press conference to share his preliminary findings and recommendations. It will take place at 11:00 on Friday 10 February in UN City Copenhagen.

The UN expert will present his final report to the Human Rights Council in September 2023.

Special procedures

 JosƩ Francisco Cali Tzay, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
JosƩ Francisco Cali Tzay, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. Photo: OHCHR

Mr.Ā JosĆ© Francisco Cali Tzay,Ā was appointedĀ Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples in March 2020 and took up the role on 1 May 2020. A Mayan Cakchiquel from Guatemala, he has represented indigenous peoples at the United Nations since the early 1980s. In his work he has addressed human rights violations against indigenous peoples in Guatemala and around the world.Ā 

Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as theĀ 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 Councilā€™s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. They address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Proceduresā€™ 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.

See theĀ UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

UN Human Rights, Country Page ā€“Ā Denmark