UN rights chief to meet Venezuela’s Maduro, Guaido
The UN’s top human rights official will meet Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guiado to discuss ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in the country.
“In my first visit to Venezuela as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, I look forward to listening to all voices and working with all actors to promote and protect all human rights of all Venezuelans,” Michelle Bachelet said in a Twitter post.
Bachelet arrived in Venezuela on Wednesday at the invitation of Maduro and she is expected to meet government and opposition leaders before making a statement on Friday, the last day of her visit.
Venezuela’s economy has been in precipitous decline following a global downturn in the price of crude oil, the country’s main export. A political unrest is ongoing between Venezuela’s elected President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido since Jan. 10.
Nearly 5,000 people leave Venezuela every day because of “instability and uncertainty” amid a crisis over the presidency and economy and 3 million Venezuelans have already left the country since 2015, according to UN Refugee Agency reports.
