A/HRC/42/32 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 14 August 2019 English Original: French Human Rights Council Forty-second session 9–27 September 2019 Agenda items 2 and 10 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Technical assistance and capacity-building Human rights situation and the activities of the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo* Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Summary The present report contains an overview of the human rights situation and the activities of the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from June 2018 to May 2019. The report assesses the progress made by the Government in implementing recommendations previously made by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other United Nations human rights mechanisms. Many violations and abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms were committed during the electoral process. The opening up of democratic space observed following the elections, including the release of several political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, is encouraging, but further efforts are needed to ensure the full exercise of fundamental freedoms. The High Commissioner finds it regrettable that, even though the two joint commissions set up to investigate the violations committed during protests that took place between 2016 and 2018 published reports in June 2018, no judicial action has been taken with regard to the violations documented. The High Commissioner remains concerned about the situation in conflict-affected areas, where the defence and security forces and armed groups have continued to commit a large number of human rights violations and abuses, including sexual violence. The upsurge in intercommunal conflict and violence against certain ethnic groups is also worrying. * Agreement was reached to publish the present report after the standard publication date owing to circumstances beyond the submitter’s control. GE.19-13875 (E) 040919  060919