A/HRC/42/49 12. Despite the standing invitation granted by Burundi to special procedures mandate holders, no special rapporteur or working group has been able to visit the country since December 2014, and no visit is scheduled for the coming months, although the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances have requested visits. Since February 2016, Burundi has ceased to cooperate with the special procedures mandate holders on alleged cases of human rights violations. 13. Pursuant to its resolution 2303 (2016), the Security Council has continued to review the situation in Burundi regularly, on 21 November 2018, 19 February 2019 and 14 June 2019.12 The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Burundi, Michel Kafando, and representatives of States members of the African Union have reiterated their concerns about the current political situation and the impasse reached in the inclusive inter-Burundi dialogue, particularly in the light of the forthcoming elections, and about the human rights situation and socioeconomic conditions.13 14. The most recent round of inter-Burundi talks, which took place in October 2018 in Arusha, Tanzania, under the leadership of the Facilitator, Benjamin Mkapa, was boycotted by the Government of Burundi. The Facilitator completed his work on 1 February 2019 with the presentation of his final report to the Summit of Heads of State of the East African Community, without having achieved any tangible results. The East African Community has not yet taken any steps to relaunch the dialogue. 15. On 13 November 2018, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Burundi, 14 in which it expressed its concern about the lack of adequate and independent inquiries into reported cases of human rights violations and the non-implementation of the recommendations it had made in 2015. In the resolution, it urges Burundi to cooperate with the African Union, the United Nations and the East African Community in the search for a peaceful and human rights responsive solution to the crisis situation in Burundi. 16. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there were 344,931 Burundian refugees in neighbouring countries as at 30 June 2019, and 3,603 new arrivals had been registered between 1 January and 30 June 2019. 15 The humanitarian crisis affecting the Burundian refugees is the world’s most underfinanced emergency. Thus, in 2018, the Office received only 33 per cent of the annual budget sought and, at the end of June 2019, only 18 per cent of the requested annual funds had been received. The Office is not recommending the return of refugees to Burundi but has been helping those who choose to go back on a voluntary basis since September 2017. Between January and June 2019, 14,104 persons returned to the country. 16 17. In 2019, according to the figures agreed by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Government of Burundi, 1.77 million persons are in need of humanitarian assistance and 1.7 million are suffering from food insecurity. 17 There remain 116,000 internally displaced persons, the majority of whom are economically vulnerable women heads of household. As at 4 July 2019, 30 per cent of the budget needed to cover humanitarian needs in 2019, estimated at US$ 106.3 million, had been received. 12 13 14 15 16 17 GE.19-13419 The meeting initially scheduled for 28 May 2019 was cancelled at the last minute and postponed to 14 June 2019, in the absence of Mr. Kafando. See S/PV.8408, S/PV.8465 and S/PV.8550. African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Resolution on the Human Rights Situation in the Republic of Burundi, document ACHPR/Res. 412 (LXII) 2018. This figure does not necessarily include all new arrivals as, in some countries, it has become virtually impossible for Burundians to obtain refugee status. UNHCR, Regional overview of the Burundian refugee population, 30 June 2019. Available at https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/70281 (in English only). Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Burundi Situation Report, updated on 4 July 2019. Available at https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/burundi. 5