A/HRC/15/19 36. In his report on individual communications (A/HRC/14/24/Add.1), the Special Rapporteur expressed his concern at the use of the death penalty in relation to non-serious crimes, transparency in executions and the death penalty for juveniles. 37. Other international developments during the reporting period include the Fourth World Congress against the Death Penalty, held in Geneva from 24 to 26 February 2010. The World Congress resulted in the adoption of a declaration that, inter alia, acknowledged positive developments such as the greater number of ratifications of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.13 It also called on (a) de facto abolitionist States to enact legislation abolishing the death penalty in law; (b) abolitionist States to integrate the issue of universal abolition in their international relations by making it a major focus of their international policy of promoting human rights; (c) international and regional organizations to support the universal abolition of the death penalty, including the adoption of resolutions calling for a moratorium on executions, by supporting educational activities, and increased cooperation with abolitionist nongovernmental organizations that act locally; and (d) abolitionist organizations and actors from retentionist States to unite their strength and determination in creating and developing national and regional coalitions, with the aim to promote, locally, the universal abolition of capital punishment. 38. Other conferences relating to the death penalty include the fifth international congress entitled “No Justice without Life”, held in Rome on 17 May 2010, with the participation of justice officials, judges and civil society representatives from 30 countries. At the regional level, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights organized a conference in Kigali in September 2009, to discuss the abolition of the death penalty in central, eastern and southern Africa. Representatives of the Commission renewed their commitment to the abolition of the death penalty and proposed the creation of a protocol to the African Charter aiming at the abolition of the death penalty in Africa. A second regional conference was held in Cotonou from 12 to 15 April 2010, focusing on North- and WestAfrican countries and aimed to help design political and legal strategies for the abolition of the death penalty, including possibilities for an additional protocol on the death penalty to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. At the conference of the World Coalition against the Death Penalty on Capital Punishment in the Middle-East and North Africa region, held in Madrid in July 2009, representatives of civil society and national experts of Arab countries discussed initiatives aiming at the establishment of a moratorium on executions in participating countries. The Madrid statement14 encourages Governments of Arab countries to comply with General Assembly resolutions and introduce a moratorium on executions. V. Conclusions 39. Developments on the question of the death penalty suggest that the trend towards abolition is continuing. A number of States are engaging in national and regional debates on whether to lift existing moratoriums or to abolish the death penalty altogether, while others have gradually restricted its use. However, serious problems remain with regard to respect for international law in countries where the death penalty is still imposed, particularly in its limitation to the most serious crimes, the exclusion of juvenile offenders from its scope, and due process guarantees. Finally, 13 14 GE.10-15029 See the Final Declaration at the address www.worldcoalition.org/modules/wfdownloads/singlefile.php?cid=28&lid=306. See www.fidh.org/Final-statement-of-the-conference-of-the-World. 11