A/HRC/13/63 page 7 8. They further suggested that MONUC should consider deploying experienced and French-speaking military lawyers and investigators from troop-contributing countries as advisers to Congolese military investigators, military prosecutors and military courts, for training purposes. 9. They reiterated their recommendation that MONUC should avoid cooperating with FARDC commanders and units involved in committing serious human rights violations and make its support conditional on compliance with international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law. 10. The experts thank MONUC for its detailed response of 10 December 2009, the content of which is reflected in the present report. 3. To the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 11. The experts sent a letter to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, requesting information on support provided by her office to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including with regard to the follow-up to the experts’ report, and welcoming any other information that the High Commissioner considered important to reflect in the present report. The experts thank OHCHR – which also served as the secretariat – for the information provided, including reports gathered from other reliable sources. B. Country visits undertaken 1. Visit of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict 12. From 14 to 21 April 2009, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict, undertook a visit at the invitation of the Government to ascertain first-hand the situation of children, as well as follow up recommendations of the Secretary-General in his report on children and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (S/2008/693) and developments since her previous visit in March 2007. 13. The Special Representative met with Government officials, the FARDC Military Command, MONUC, the United Nations Country Team, representatives of civil society and children and young people in Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, Masisi and Dungu. 2. Visit of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders 14. From 21 May to 3 June 2009, Ms. Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, conducted an official visit at the invitation of the Government (see her full report: A/HRC/13/22/Add.2). The purpose of the visit was to assess the situation of human rights defenders in the country. 15. The Special Rapporteur visited Kinshasa, Kananga and Bukavu. She met with senior Government officials, including the Prime Minister, the Minister for Human Rights, the Minister of Gender, Family and Children, a wide range of representatives of

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