A/HRC/30/34 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 8 July 2015 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirtieth session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Annual report of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination Summary The present report contains an overview of the activities carried out by the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination during the period under review and includes information on the sessions of the Working Group, communications and country visits. The report presents the findings of the Working Group’s ongoing global study of national laws and regulations relating to private military and security companies. The Working Group focuses on the laws and regulations of eight countries in Central America and the Caribbean (Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama), eight countries in South America (Argentina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay) and four countries in Europe (France, Hungary, Switzerland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). The Working Group’s global study aims to assess existing national laws regarding private military and security companies and their effectiveness in protecting human rights and promoting accountability for violations. Furthermore, it aims to identify any commonalities, good practices and regulatory gaps that may exist. The Working Group notes that, while there are common elements in the laws of these countries, their regulatory approach to private military and security companies varies. The Working Group reiterates the need to effectively regulate the activities of private military and security companies and invites all Member States to facilitate its study, which aims to guide them in exercising effective oversight of the activities of such companies. GE.15-11553 (E) 