A United Nations official arrives in Alabama this week to investigate poverty, inequality and "barriers to political participation" in the state.
But despite great wealth in the US, there also exists great poverty and inequality," Alston said in a statement.
Alston will spend Thursday in Lowndes County, where he will be looking at issues like health care, access to clean and safe drinking water, and sanitation.
During his Alabama visit, he will also look at voting rights, political participation and "government efforts to eradicate poverty in the country, and how they relate to US obligations under international human rights law.".
On Friday, Alston will go to Montgomery, for a meeting with local civil service and civil rights advocacy groups.
Alston plans to hold a press conference in Washington on Friday, Dec. 15, during which he will discuss his initial observations about such issues and his preliminary recommendations for how to address them.
Alston expects to release a final report on the trip in spring 2018 that will be presented before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in June. »