A/HRC/24/40 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 20/21, in which the Council, inter alia, renewed the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia for one year, and requested him to report to the Council at its twenty-fourth session. The present report covers the period from September 2012 to July 2013. 2. The Independent Expert undertook his tenth field visit to Somalia and Kenya from 18 to 22 March 2013. He visited Nairobi and Mogadishu. With the support of a military convoy provided by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), he was able to travel through Mogadishu to meet with members of the Government. 3. The objective of the visit was to consult with Somali stakeholders on the proposal he had submitted earlier to the Government about developing a post-transition human rights road map as part of the human rights agenda of the Government. The Independent Expert proposed that the content of the road map be drawn from 18 key thematic areas which he had identified in the exercise of his mandate over the last five years. 4. In Nairobi, the Independent Expert held meetings with the Human Rights Working Group of the European Union, represented by Belgium, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland. The Working Group briefed him on the findings of its December 2012 mission to Mogadishu, Somaliland and Puntland. The Independent Expert, in turn, briefed the Working Group on his efforts in supporting the Federal Government of Somalia in the development of a road map on human rights. 5. The Independent Expert received extensive briefings from United Nations agencies, in particular from the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS). He learned that joint efforts were being deployed to encourage implementation of the human rights due diligence policy. 6. In Mogadishu, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the President of the Federal Government of Somalia, invited the Independent Expert to a working breakfast at the Presidential Palace; there, the Independent Expert formally introduced the proposed human rights road map to the President and informed him about the background to the proposal of developing such a road map. The objectives and expected outcome of the road map were discussed. 7. The President welcomed the Independent Expert’s proposal of a human rights road map for Somalia and underlined his commitment to improving the human rights situation in the country. He stated that, as a person who had stayed in Somalia throughout the turbulent years, he had lived through the same experiences as ordinary Somalis. He therefore understood the challenges, needs and expectations of his people. He added that the majority of his cabinet colleagues came from civil society and, as such, they too understood the plight of the people and were dedicated to their well-being. He realized that the challenges were accentuated by the fact that State institutions were weak, corruption was rampant and impunity was total. There was thus a need to build genuine federal institutions to uphold the rule of law, good governance and respect of human rights and humanitarian law. 8. The Independent Expert also held wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon. The latter assured him that a human rights–based approach would be adopted in the implementation of the “six-pillar policy” of the Federal Government. The Prime Minister expressed his belief that the proposed human rights road map would make a significant contribution to the national human rights agenda. He announced that a human rights directorate would be created within his office, tasked with the coordination, promotion and protection of human rights. 3