A/HRC/22/39 the gendarmerie and the judicial authorities take measures to correct the situation and guarantee reparation to victims. E. Transitional justice and national reconciliation process 33. In the light of the violence marring the history of Guinea, the international commission of inquiry had recommended a truth process to help move reconciliation forward. President Alpha Condé made that process a pivotal part of his term of office and accordingly, in June 2011, established the Provisional Commission on National Reconciliation with, as joint chairs, the imam of the Fayçal Grand Mosque in Conakry and the Archbishop of Conakry, and with a mandate to stimulate discussion of reconciliation and propose ways of achieving it. 34. Reconciliation is largely dependent on the situation in the country. In 2012 this was characterized by political and social circumstances whose main effect was to slow the national reconciliation process. On the political level, the commitment of State actors was tepid mainly because of the failure to grant the logistical and financial means for the Provisional Commission to operate. On the social level, the persistence of inter-community tensions and the complexity of the episodes of violence in Guinean history mean that an enormous amount of sensitization is needed before the country as a whole can take ownership of the reconciliation process. 35. Accordingly, the Provisional Commission did some groundwork in preparation for the national consultations, helped in part by an international expert seconded from the United Nations and paid for by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. Preparations included: (a) holding prayer and forgiveness meetings; (b) consulting with the political parties; (c) holding an information exchange with technical and financial partners; and (d) drafting a national consultation plan. 36. OHCHR continued to rally national and international actors round the national reconciliation process. Throughout the year, it provided technical and financial support to the Provisional Commission — in the form of advice, information and training sessions and missions abroad to share the experience of other countries that have gone through similar processes — in order to strengthen the Provisional Commission’s ability to conduct participatory and inclusive national consultations. It also continued its capacity-building work among relevant actors to ensure greater understanding of the principles and challenges of national reconciliation and transitional justice and to bring the highest authorities and non-State actors into a participatory process. Thus two national seminars were held in June and November 2012 involving key State and non-State actors, the Commission’s co-chairs and their support team. Moreover, decision makers were continually urged to provide effective support to the national actors and keep all parties focused on national reconciliation. 37. This technical assistance from OHCHR helped clarify the population’s expectations regarding the transitional justice process and change the view of most of the actors involved in the national reconciliation process. 38. Furthermore, OHCHR and other United Nations bodies supported action by local organizations to provide psychological and medical support to victims of torture and sexual violence, thanks to financing from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. The initiative is one of several taken since 2010 and ultimately aims to establish a collection of disaggregated data on sexual violence in Guinea, which will be useful for ongoing judicial proceedings. 10 GE.13-10258