KATHMANDU: UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Olivier De Schutter arrived in Nepal on Monday to review efforts to alleviate poverty in the Himalayan country.

During his official visit, he held meetings with the chairperson and members of the National Human Rights Commission on the state of famine in Nepal and the latest developments in the field of human rights. He will stay in Kathmandu till December 9 to take stock of the government’s efforts to end the food crisis.

The delegation led by De Schutter will study the food availability of the people living in the Bagmati River in the Kathmandu Valley and will also participate in roundtable discussions on and Dalit issues and those related to economic, social and cultural rights among others.
In a statement issued last year, De Schutter welcomed the Nepal government’s commitment to halve poverty by 2024 and provide some sort of social security to 60 percent of the population.

He said his visit would be an opportunity to assess the progress made towards these goals.

The UN Rapporteur is also scheduled to meet with local officials and communities affected by poverty and will present its preliminary findings in Kathmandu on December 9.