A/HRC/42/61 her essential information. Lastly, she is grateful to the victims she has met who have kindly shared with her their stories and their expectations for their country. II. General situation A. Political context and peace process 8. The reporting period was marked by an intensification of the peace talks, which led to the adoption, on 6 February 2019, of the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic between the Central African Government and 14 armed groups. The agreement, signed in Bangui, was the result of the negotiations held in Khartoum from 24 January to 5 February 2019, in the framework of the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic, launched by the African Union. 9. The Independent Expert is of the view that the Peace Agreement represents a real opportunity for the people of the Central African Republic in that it holds out genuine hope for peace and thus for the development of the country. Many of those she spoke with stressed the fact that several of its provisions highlight the importance of respect for human rights and make reference to the root causes of the current crisis. In particular, the Agreement emphasizes the need to address political and social marginalization, encourages the parties to repudiate the political manipulation of ethnicity and religion, condemns the use of armed violence to achieve political ends and promotes the fight against impunity. 10. The Independent Expert noted that the government delegation to Khartoum comprised members of civil society, including women and young people, as well as representatives of political parties. 11. This association symbolizes the beginning of a unity that should strengthen the commitment by all levels of Central African society to supporting the Peace Agreement. 12. In accordance with the Peace Agreement, a Government that includes representatives of armed groups has been formed. In addition, joint security units comprising members of the armed groups and of the national armed forces, under the latter’s command, are being set up. In the area of transitional justice, national consultations with a view to establishing a truth, justice, reparations and reconciliation commission were launched on 6 June 2019 at the start of the Independent Expert’s last visit. An inclusive commission comprising all the parties to the Agreement has also been created, with a mandate to review all aspects of the tragic events of the conflict and propose to the truth, justice, reparations and reconciliation commission, once it is established, any judicial action that might be taken. 13. With regard to the monitoring of the implementation of the Peace Agreement, the Executive Monitoring Committee, co-chaired by the African Union and the Government of the Central African Republic, and with all the parties to the Agreement and leading public figures, was officially inaugurated on 15 May 2019. A national implementation committee has also been created, along with implementation committees at the prefectural level. 14. A disagreement arose over the composition of the new Government a month after the signing of the Peace Agreement, and several armed groups threatened to withdraw from it. To resolve the crisis, the African Union convened a meeting of all the parties in Addis Ababa from 18 to 20 March 2019. After these talks, President Touadera appointed a new 39-member Government including representatives of all the armed groups. 15. According to information gathered by MINUSCA, between 50 and 70 practical applications based on the provisions of the Peace Agreement are identified every week. 16. The Independent Expert wishes to emphasize that the peace process will succeed only if the Peace Agreement is implemented in good faith by all parties to the conflict. Despite the parties’ undertakings to cease hostilities forthwith, she was informed that some of the signatory armed groups were still committing serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and blocking humanitarian aid. 4 GE.19-13726