A/HRC/4/103 page 2 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The Human Rights Council, by decision 2/102 of 6 October 2006, requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to “continue with the fulfilment of her activities, in accordance with all previous decisions adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and to update the relevant reports and studies”. The last report on human rights and forensic science (E/CN.4/2002/67) was submitted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to the Commission at its fifty-eighth session in 2002. In resolution 2005/26, the Commission requested the Office to submit an updated report on human rights and forensic science to it at its sixty-third session (para. 10). OHCHR understands decision 2/102 to preserve the reporting cycle on this issue until otherwise decided by the Council. The present report therefore covers the period from January 2002 to December 2006. 2. In its resolution 2005/26, the Commission on Human Rights welcomed the increased use of forensic investigations in situations where grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have occurred. It requested OHCHR to keep its database of forensic experts updated in consultation with Governments, relevant United Nation bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and professional organizations of forensic and related experts (para. 3). 3. The Commission recommended that the Office encourage forensic experts to coordinate further and promote the consolidation of relevant guidelines, with a view to harmonizing the procedures in forensic investigation and repatriation (para. 4). Furthermore, the Commission recommended that OHCHR encourage the dissemination and use of principles, best practices, manuals and international human rights standards and the promotion of forensic capacity-building, including training where necessary, particularly in countries without sufficient expertise in forensic science and related fields (para. 5). 4. The Commission also requested the Secretary-General to provide appropriate resources, from within existing overall United Nations resources, to fund the activities of the Office to implement the resolution, including the revision of the Manual on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions (para. 9). 5. In July 2005, a note verbale was sent to all Governments requesting relevant information relating, inter alia, to resolution 2005/26. As of 1 January 2007 OHCHR had received replies from the Governments of Lebanon, Mexico and Togo. II. DATABASE AND ROSTER OF FORENSIC EXPERTS 6. The OHCHR database currently contains the names of 402 forensic specialists. Experience from past forensic assessment and fact-finding missions and commissions of inquiry supported by OHCHR have provided useful lessons with regard to the identification and profile of the experts required to respond better to the needs of such missions, which will be taken into account in maintaining the database and coordinating it with the other related initiatives described below.