GENEVA (25 November 2021) ̶ The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Reem Alsalem, will visit Mongolia from 29 November to 8 December 2021.

“During my visit, I will review the implementation of international commitments and the legal, institutional and policy frameworks put in place to prevent and eliminate violence against women,” Alsalem said.

She will also examine the response to specific manifestations of violence against women, such as trafficking of women and girls, violence against refugee and migrant women, women and girls at risk of statelessness, and femicide.

“I look forward to a productive and substantial discussion with State officials at the national and local levels, civil society actors and others on the progress made for protecting women and girls from gender-based violence as well as the outstanding challenges in that regard,” she said.

“Of course I will also make sure to meet with women and girls who should be at the centre of all these efforts,” she added

During the 10-day visit, the Special Rapporteur will visit women’s shelters, one-stop service centres and a women’s detention centre, and will meet survivors of violence. In addition to the capital, Ulaanbaatar, the expert will visit Dalanzadgad in Ömnögovi province.

The Special Rapporteur will hold a news conference to share the preliminary findings of her visit at 12:00 local time on Wednesday, 8 December in Ulaanbaatar at the UN House Auditorium. Access will be limited to the media and in accordance with local regulations on COVID-19. Attendants must register by 5 December via this link:

Alsalem will present her final report to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2022.

Ms. Reem Alsalem (Jordan) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2021, to recommend measures, ways and means, at the national, regional and international levels, to eliminate violence against women and its causes, and to remedy its consequences. She is an independent consultant on gender issues, the rights of refugees and migrants, transitional justice and humanitarian response. She holds a Masters in International Relations from the American University in Cairo, Egypt (2001) and a Masters in Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (2003).

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.

For inquiries and media requests, please contact: Renata Preturlan (+41 22 928 92 54 / renata.preturlan@un.org)