A/HRC/12/40 page 2 Summary The present report is submitted in accordance with decision 9/15 of the Human Rights Council. The present Special Rapporteur was appointed with effect from 1 May 2009 and he undertook his first mission to Cambodia a month later, from 16 to 26 June 2009. Given the lack of time to conduct an in-depth assessment of the situation of human rights in the country so as to be able to report about it in a credible manner, the Special Rapporteur decided that he would focus his first mission on familiarizing himself with the complex realities of the country, to re-establish conditions for a fruitful dialogue with the Government on human rights issues of concern, and to look for ways to strengthen cooperation between the Government, civil society representatives and the international community around these issues. During his visit the Special Rapporteur met with the Prime Minister and other members of the Royal Government, members of the National Assembly and the judiciary, civil society representatives, as well as members of the United Nations Country Team and diplomats based in the country. The Special Rapporteur was encouraged by the openness of his Government interlocutors to engage in substantive discussions provided they were conducted in an objective and non-partisan manner and with the intention of looking for solutions. A number of issues arose during his visit, namely: freedom of expression, independence of the judiciary, land and housing rights in urban and rural areas, and prison reform. Subject to his mandate, the Special Rapporteur intends to focus on these substantive issues during future visits. During his mission, the Special Rapporteur invited the Government to clarify its own human rights priorities, so that he can take them into account during the implementation of his mandate. The Government is yet to respond to this offer and the Special Rapporteur looks forward to a response in this regard in order to develop a programme of action around which international cooperation could be encouraged. Pending these further discussions, the preliminary view of the Special Rapporteur is that while Cambodia has made remarkable progress in a number of areas given its burdened legacy and high public expectations, there still are a number of serious challenges in promoting and protecting human rights in the country and the Special Rapporteur would like to work with the Government to address them in a constructive manner. What is needed in Cambodia is not only a formal commitment to human rights on the part of the Government, but their implementation through determined action in several key areas. It is in these areas that a meaningful and constructive dialogue and cooperation would be needed between the Government, civil society and the international community and it is here that the Special Rapporteur hopes to make a significant contribution in the years to come.