A/HRC/21/62 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 27 August 2012 Original: English Human Rights Council Twenty-first session Agenda item 10 Technical assistance and capacity-building Report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Mashood A. Baderin Summary The present report is submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 18/16, in which the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Independent Expert for a period of one year and requested him to assist the Government of the Sudan in identifying areas of assistance that would aid the Sudan to fulfil its human rights obligations, and to submit a report for the Council’s consideration at its twenty-first session. The Independent Expert undertook his first mission to the Sudan from 10 to 14 June 2012 and met with a wide variety of actors, including Government representatives, international partners and civil society organizations. On the basis of the information gathered during his meetings with stakeholders, the Independent Expert’s initial impression was that of a general willingness on the part of the Government of the Sudan to fulfil its international human rights obligations and to improve the situation of human rights in the country; indeed, the State has already taken some important steps in that direction. The Independent Expert noted, however, the important human rights concerns raised by certain international partners that the Government must take seriously if it is to secure cooperation from them for the realization of the necessary technical assistance and capacity-building on human rights, areas of concern that are briefly described in the present report. He concludes that there is a need to strengthen confidence-building between the Government of the Sudan and relevant international partners in order to ensure continued constructive engagement to improve the situation of human rights in the Sudan. GE.12-16190