The UN's newly appointed special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Rhona Smith, will visit the Kingdom for five days this month, in her first official visit since being appointed in March.

The visit will take place between May 18 and 22, during which Smith will “gather first-hand information on the current human rights situation in Cambodia”, according to a statement released yesterday by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“I intend to meet with a broad cross-section of government and society in order to better understand the human rights situation in Cambodia,” Smith said in the statement.

Following her visit, Smith will submit a report that will be presented to the 30th session of the Human Rights Council in September.

Smith, the first female rights envoy to the Kingdom, was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in March following the completion of the six-year term of her predecessor, Surya Subedi.

The position was established as part of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords.

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