A/HRC/41/53 IV. Cooperation with the Special Rapporteur and engagement with international human rights bodies 11. Since the beginning of her mandate, the Special Rapporteur has sought to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Government of Eritrea. The Special Rapporteur welcomed the opportunity to meet with the delegation of Eritrea on the margins of the fortieth session of the Human Rights Council. While that meeting was productive, the head of the delegation made clear that the Government of Eritrea remained opposed to the countryspecific mandate and would not grant the Special Rapporteur access to the country. The Special Rapporteur regrets that, despite giving signals of cooperation, the Government will not grant her access for a country visit. 12. Since the beginning of 2019, Eritrea has actively engaged with international human rights bodies. On 28 January, Eritrea participated in the third cycle of the universal periodic review and presented a country report (A/HRC/WG.6/32/ERI/1). 8 Also in January, Eritrea joined the Human Rights Council, and in March it participated in the fortieth session of the Council. On 11 March, the head of the delegation of Eritrea intervened during the enhanced interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in Eritrea held by the Council. On 12 and 13 March, that delegation participated in the 125th session of the Human Rights Committee, during which the situation of civil and political rights in Eritrea was examined (CCPR/C/ERI/CO/1). 13. The Special Rapporteur welcomes those developments because they suggest that Eritrea recognizes the central role and core mission of the above-mentioned human rights bodies and acknowledges the importance of participating in those forums. However, for its engagement to be meaningful and substantive, tangible improvements need to be made in terms of Eritrean nationals’ enjoyment of their basic rights, especially their civil and political rights. As noted in paragraphs 16–63 below, urgent government action is needed to address persistent human rights violations in the country. 14. To promote progress in developing and implementing the human rights agenda of Eritrea, the Special Rapporteur encourages the Government to strengthen its cooperation with OHCHR, the special procedure mandate holders of the Human Rights Council and specialized human rights bodies, including by allowing regular country visits. The Special Rapporteur also encourages the Government to strengthen its cooperation with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and invite the Commission’s rapporteur on Eritrea to conduct a country visit. 15. As a Human Rights Council member, Eritrea must uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights and it must fully cooperate with the Council and its mechanisms. At the time of writing, Eritrea had yet to sign the pledge by which new members commit to strengthening the work of the Council through good practice and by promoting a safe and enabling environment for human rights. V. Main human rights challenges 16. While welcoming the positive developments noted above, the Special Rapporteur remains concerned about persistent human rights violations in Eritrea and highlights the following priority areas, which remain unaddressed and in respect of which urgent reforms and government action are needed: (a) Ending the practices of indefinite and arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance; (b) 8 4 Reforming the national/military service; The Special Rapporteur notes that, in 2016, Eritrea reported to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and that, in 2017, it submitted its initial and combined report to the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights, covering the period from 1999 to 2016.