A/HRC/16/27 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 13/22, entitled “Situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the strengthening of technical cooperation and consultative services”, adopted by the Council at its thirteenth session in March 2010. Following the example of the previous report, submitted to the Human Rights Council at that session (A/HRC/13/64), this report takes up again a number of recommendations made by myself and by several United Nations human rights mechanisms.1 It also assesses the Government’s follow-up to the recommendations since my last report. In the course of the universal periodic review at the thirteenth session of the Council, the Government undertook to implement several of these recommendations. I welcome this undertaking and reiterate that I stand ready to support its efforts in this regard. II. Main human rights developments 2. The key challenges to be met in the area of human rights are as follows: arbitrary and illegal arrests and detentions; prison conditions, torture and ill-treatment in detention; sexual violence; violations of economic and social rights and exploitation of natural resources; the situation of journalists, human rights defenders, victims and witnesses; the administration of justice; and ending the impunity of Congolese security forces. These challenges reflect the priority areas that are being addressed by my office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office,2 with a staff of 119 officers posted in 19 branches throughout the country. This report lists examples of the measures taken by the Joint Human Rights Office, often in collaboration with other partners, to help the Government to meet its commitments. 1 2 4 The recommendations referred to are drawn from the following documents: Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture (CAT/C/DRC/CO/1); Report of the Human Rights Division of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (January–June 2007); Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences (A/HRC/7/6/Add.4); Report submitted by the Representative of the SecretaryGeneral on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Walter Kälin (A/HRC/8/6/Add.3); Concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/COD/CO/2); reports of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights and the activities of her Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (A/HRC/10/58 and A/HRC/13/64); and the combined report of seven thematic special procedures on technical assistance to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and urgent examination of the situation in the east of the country (A/HRC/10/59). The High Commissioner also refers in the report to the main findings and preliminary recommendations issued following recent visits to the country by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions in May and October 2009, respectively, the recent concluding observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/COD/CO/4) and the recommendations made under the universal periodic review. In order to avoid repetition, the sources of the recommendations will not be cited again in the report, as most of the recommendations have been made by several mechanisms, as indicated above. The Human Rights Division of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and the OHCHR country office combined to form the Joint Human Rights Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. GE.11-10197