A/HRC/24/42 15. On 1 May, the Special Rapporteur delivered opening remarks, via telephone link, to the Commonwealth round table on reconciliation. 16. On 30 and 31 May, in Berlin, he met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, the Office of the Federal President, the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, and the Institute for Human Rights, with a view to preparing the regional consultations for Europe. He also participated in a workshop organized by the Working Group on Peace and Development. 17. In May and July, the Special Rapporteur met in Geneva with the Ambassadors and/or representatives of Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uganda, the United States of America, Uruguay and the International Organization of la Francophonie. III. The right to truth 18. Truth-seeking entities, including truth commissions, aim at the fulfilment of the right to truth, which is enshrined in a number of international instruments, notably the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law. The Human Rights Council has placed the right to truth in the context of contributions to end impunity. 9 Similar references have been made by OHCHR,10 treaty bodies,11 and special procedures of the Council.12 19. At the regional level, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights were at the forefront of developing jurisprudence on the right to truth of the victim, his or her next of kin, and the whole of society. Regarding the collective nature of this right, the Commission observed that “every society has the inalienable right to know the truth about past events, as well as the motives and circumstances in which aberrant crimes came to be committed, in order to prevent repetition of such acts in the future”. 13 In a more recent judgment, the Court framed the right to truth in the form of a positive State obligation, stressing that “the next of kin of the victims and society as a whole must be informed of everything that has happened in connection with the said violations”.14 The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has recognized the right to truth as an aspect of the right to an effective remedy for a violation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.15 In connection with gross human rights violations committed in the context of countering terrorism, the European 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Human Rights Council resolutions 12/12, para. 1; and 9/11, para. 1. E/CN.4/2006/91; A/HRC/5/7, both documents with further references. E.g. CAT/C/COL/CO/4 (2010), para. 27. A/HRC/16/48, para. 39; A/HRC/22/52, paras. 23-26, 32-34; A/HRC/7/3/Add.3, para. 82; A/HRC/14/23, para. 34. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACommHR), Annual Report, 1985-86, AS Doc. No. OEA/Ser.L/V/II.68, Doc. 8 rev. 1 (26 September 1986), p. 193. Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), Myrna Mack Chang v. Guatemala, 25 November 2013 (Merits, Reparations and Costs), para. 274. The Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Fair Trial and Legal Assistance in Africa highlight that the right to an effective remedy includes “access to the factual information concerning the violations”. Principle C (b) (3). 5