A/HRC/20/35 Section, who are invaluable partners in the execution of the mission entrusted to him by the Council. 8. Lastly, during his various missions to Haiti, New York, Miami and Geneva, the Independent Expert met with representatives of international and national NGOs, women’s organizations and farmers’ associations. Civil society organizations constitute an incredibly valuable resource with remarkable creative potential and a capacity to take action on the ground that is doubtless underexploited. II. Civil and political rights 9. The Independent Expert met with the campaigns of the two candidates in the second round of the Haitian presidential elections to emphasize the need to place the rule of law at the heart of the forthcoming reforms and to remind them that economic and social rights remained a key concern for the majority of Haitians. 10. Since the election of President Michel Martelly, the Independent Expert has been pleased to note that the rule of law has been one of the four priorities of his mandate, alongside education, job creation and the environment. At his first meeting with the President, the topic of implementation of reforms was raised. During the discussions and telephone conversations that followed, very specific issues were addressed, in particular the implementation of certain recommendations that have featured for several years in the reports of the Independent Expert. The Independent Expert welcomes the serious nature and quality of the strategy adopted by the presidential team responsible for the rule of law and the clear vision of the steps required in order to make reform of the justice system a cornerstone for the country’s future. 11. The Independent Expert pointed out that governing is also about sending political signals, and that the population needs to see that the rule of law is advancing in Haiti. The country needs real political action to enable it to go beyond the purely technical decisions that have been called for already for some time now. 12. The Independent Expert has suggested that the Government should appoint an Interministerial Delegate for the Rule of Law, reporting directly to the Prime Minister, in order to provide guidance and the necessary coordination between the different ministerial departments. Several ministries are directly affected by this issue, in particular the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Ministry of the Interior, but the issue of the rule of law also affects the ministries responsible for governmental action on the rights to education, health and housing. 13. The authorities, in cooperation with the Office of the Ombudsman and civil society organizations, could also make the Interministerial Delegate for the Rule of Law responsible for drawing up a national human rights plan, specifically taking into account the commitments made by the Government during the universal periodic review before the Human Rights Council. Such a plan, in which the Office of the Ombudsman and all actors in civil society could be involved, would set out the policy that the Government wishes to pursue to make human rights a reality. GE.12-13208 5