A/HRC/24/42 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence to the Human Rights Council pursuant to resolution 18/7. The report lists key activities undertaken by the Special Rapporteur from August 2012 to July 2013, and analyses selected challenges faced by truth commissions in transitional periods, while proposing responses to strengthen the effectiveness of those mechanisms in addressing gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law. II. Activities of the Special Rapporteur A. Country visits and regional consultations 2. From 11 to 16 October, the Special Rapporteur undertook his first country visit, and thanks the Government of Tunisia for its invitation and cooperation. The report is contained in document A/HRC/24/42/Add.1. 3. The Special Rapporteur will visit Uruguay from 30 September to 4 October 2013 and Spain from 22 to 31 January 2014. He thanks both Governments for their invitations. 4. The Special Rapporteur had hoped to visit Guatemala in the first half of 2013, but was informed that the Government was unable to accommodate a visit this year. New country visit requests have been made to Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia and Rwanda. Other country visit requests are pending in relation to Guinea and Nepal. 5. The Special Rapporteur launched a process of regional consultations to gather information on national normative frameworks, experience and practices regarding transitional justice mechanisms to encourage experience-sharing and identify and promote good practices relating to the components under the mandate and their integration into a comprehensive policy. The first regional consultation, for the Middle East and North Africa region, was held in November 2012 in Cairo. The second, in the Latin American and Caribbean region, took place in December 2012 in Buenos Aires. A regional consultation for Africa is planned for November 2013 in Uganda; one for Europe is scheduled for 2014 in Germany, and one for Asia is envisaged for 2014/2015. The results of the meetings will form part of the Special Rapporteur’s study requested by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 18/7 (para. 1 (f)). B. Communications and press releases 6. The Special Rapporteur sent communications in 2012 to Nepal1 and in 2013 to Bangladesh, Burundi, Guatemala, Mexico, Nepal and Uruguay.2 7. Jointly with other special procedures, he issued press releases on Bangladesh,3 Guatemala4 and Uruguay,5 as well as on the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the 1 2 See A/HRC/22/67 and Corrs. 1 and 2, communication to Nepal (22 October 2012). See A/HRC/24/21, communications to Bangladesh (22 March 2013), Burundi (22 March 2013), Guatemala (15 March 2013), Mexico (15 March 2013), Nepal (22 March 2013) and Uruguay (14 May 2013). 3