A/HRC/45/49 I. Introduction 1. In accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 42/32, the present report provides an overview of the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1 June 2019 and 31 May 2020, on the basis of information gathered and cases of violations and abuses documented by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office, and of the activities conducted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights through the Joint Office. The report highlights key human rights developments, assesses the progress achieved in the implementation of the recommendations put forward in the previous reports of the High Commissioner and by various United Nations human rights mechanisms and submits recommendations to the Government. 2. The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has taken encouraging measures designed to combat impunity, including in cases of sexual violence and corruption, to guarantee access to free primary education and to improve access to health care. Other promising developments include the establishment of a ministerial portfolio for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, the signing of an addendum to the 2013 Joint Communiqué between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations on the Fight Against Sexual Violence in Conflict and the adoption, by the Congolese national police, of an action plan on sexual violence. II. Principal human rights developments 3. The human rights situation continued to deteriorate during the reporting period, especially in the provinces affected by armed conflict, namely the provinces of Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Maniema, Kasai, Kasai Oriental, Kasai Central and Tanganyika. Overall, the number of human rights violations and abuses documented by the Joint Office − 7,359 cases − increased by 12 per cent compared to the previous reporting period. Countrywide, nearly 47 per cent of the violations were committed by State officials, primarily members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and officers of the Congolese national police. Furthermore, in the provinces in conflict, human rights abuses at the time of attacks on civilians by armed groups increased sharply. However, violations related to the restriction of democratic space generally continued to fall. 4. The opening of democratic space observed as of early 2019, following the change of Head of State, continued during the reporting period, leading to a reduction in violations of civil and political rights. However, in addition to the lack of progress on the legislative front, the Joint Office continued to document attacks and threats against journalists and other civil society actors, as well as restrictions on the exercise of fundamental freedoms, such as arbitrary arrest and unjustified use of force by members of the defence and security forces in quelling peaceful demonstrations. The emergence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) exacerbated human rights protection challenges, particularly in the context of the measures taken during the state of emergency declared on 24 March 2020. The Joint Office documented human rights violations, such as arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention and violations linked to unjustified or excessive use of force. 5. In the provinces affected by armed conflict, attacks by armed groups and the operations of the defence and security forces to counter these groups led to a rise in serious violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law, including an alarming number of summary or extrajudicial executions, mostly attributable to armed groups. The highest concentration of violations and abuses was found in the Province of North Kivu, followed by South Kivu, Ituri, Maniema and Tanganyika Provinces. Intercommunal conflict and violence against civil society actors, journalists and human rights defenders, which had already been rising in the previous reporting period, rose further, sometimes kindled by hate speech and incitement to violence during public speeches or on social media. 2 GE.20-11014