A/HRC/42/43/Add.2 I. Introduction 1. Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 33/5, the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons conducted an official visit to Mozambique from 24 April to 2 May 2019, at the invitation of the Government. The purpose of the visit was to identify good practices and gaps in the implementation of existing laws relating to the promotion and protection of the rights of older persons in the country. 2. During her visit, the Independent Expert met with numerous representatives of the Government, including the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the ViceMinister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, the National Human Rights Commission, the Vice-Minister for Women, Gender and Social Action, the Minister of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs, the National Director for Human Rights and Citizenship and members of the Committee on Social Affairs, Gender, Technology and Social Communication of the parliamentary assembly. She also met with representatives of local authorities, including the Governors of Sofala and Manica provinces, the judicial authorities, the Supreme Court, the Office of the Attorney General, the Ombudsman, the national and regional civil protection services, the disaster relief, rescue and control authorities, humanitarian organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia and civil society, as well as others working on the rights of older persons and older persons themselves, in Maputo, Beira, Chimoio and Manica and Sofala provinces. 3. The Independent Expert thanks the Government of Mozambique for extending an invitation to her and for its outstanding cooperation before, throughout and after the visit. She wishes to acknowledge and commend the extraordinary efforts deployed by the Government to accommodate her visit at this particular point in time, as agreed, to allow for a first-hand analysis of the situation of older persons in post-disaster situations. Deeply saddened at the loss of lives and the massive destruction that she witnessed as she visited some of the areas affected by the cyclone, she reiterates her solidarity with the people of Mozambique, old and young. 4. The Independent Expert further expresses her gratitude to the National Directorate for Human Rights and Citizenship in facilitating and coordinating her meetings with governmental authorities, the United Nations country team, the United Nations Development Programme and humanitarian partners for their support and cooperation, as well as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and its Special Procedures Branch for its support in the preparation and execution of the visit. II. Background and context 5. Following independence on 25 June 1975, Mozambique was faced with numerous, severe challenges that hindered development, while a brutal civil war ravaged the country for almost two decades. 6. In February 2018, the President of Mozambique, in consultation with the former leader of the opposition party, announced a break-through peace agreement in the form of a constitutional amendment submitted to the parliament for ratification. 7. The Mozambican population has experienced mobility on an unprecedented scale, including persons displaced by drought and famine as a result of climatic changes and those fleeing during 30 years of war and civil strife. That has contributed to the country’s marked linguistic diversity and the fostering of regional identities. A more recent manifestation of human mobility is the migration from rural areas to the towns. 8. Mozambique has emerged as a politically stable democracy, with the Government embarking on a series of reforms that has led to extraordinary progress and dramatic improvements in the economic growth rate of the country. 9. Despite a strong economic performance, prosperity in Mozambique has not been inclusive. Economic growth has failed to reach the most disadvantaged in society and has 3