A/HRC/30/34 I. Introduction 1. The present report covers the activities 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 since its previous report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/27/50). In addition, it contains the results of the Working Group’s study on national legislation concerning private military and security companies in Central America and the Caribbean, South America and Europe. 2. The report is submitted pursuant to Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/2, which established the mandate of the Working Group, and Human Rights Council resolution 27/10, which further extended the mandate. 3. The Working Group comprises five independent experts: Patricia Arias (Chile), Elzbieta Karska (Poland), Anton Katz (South Africa), Gabor Rona (United States of America) and Saeed Mokbil (Yemen). During its twenty-third session, held in December 2014, Ms. Karska was elected Chair-Rapporteur for the period from January to December 2015. II. Activities of the Working Group 4. A private military and security company is defined as “a corporate entity which provides, on a compensatory basis, military and/or security services by physical persons and/or legal entities”. Military services refer to “specialized services related to military actions, including strategic planning, intelligence, investigation, land, sea or air reconnaissance, flight operations of any type, manned or unmanned, satellite surveillance, any kind of knowledge transfer with military applications, material and technical support to armed forces and other related activities”. Security services refer to “armed guarding or protection of buildings, installations, property and people, any kind of knowledge transfer with security and policing applications, development and implementation of informational security measures and other related activities”.1 A. Twenty-second to twenty-fourth sessions of the Working Group 5. From 1 July 2014 to 31 March 2015, the Working Group held three sessions. During its twenty-second session, held in New York from 14 to 18 July 2014, it met with United Nations officials to discuss the study on the use of private security companies by the Organization, which was the basis of a Working Group report to the General Assembly (A/69/338). It also held an expert meeting on a possible international legally binding instrument on private military and security companies. 6. At its twenty-third session, held in Geneva from 1 to 5 December 2014, the Working Group held an expert meeting on foreign fighters and met with representatives of Member States on country visits and issues concerning the mandate. 7. At its twenty-fourth session, held in Geneva from 2 to 6 March 2015, the Working Group convened a second expert meeting on foreign fighters. It also considered a revised draft convention on private military and security companies and a corresponding concept paper. 1 Draft convention on private military and security companies (see A/HRC/15/25, annex). 3