A/HRC/29/49 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 27 April 2015 English Original: French Human Rights Council Twenty-ninth session Agenda item 10 Technical assistance and capacity-building Report of the Independent Expert on capacity-building and technical cooperation with Côte d’Ivoire in the field of human rights, Mohammed Ayat* Summary In this document, which covers the period from 1 December 2014 to 31 March 2015, the Independent Expert reports on his first visit to Côte d’Ivoire, from 12 to 21 January 2015. He welcomes the progress made by the Government in terms of respect for and protection of human rights, particularly its efforts to set the country’s economy back on the path of sustainable development and the establishment of bodies such as the National Human Rights Institute, the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the victims’ reparation fund and the National Programme for Social Cohesion. The Independent Expert also commends the Government’s efforts to build capacity in the justice system, including through renovation of the courts and the ongoing legislative reforms, notably of the Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Civil Code and the Code of Civil Procedure. He welcomes the reopening of the assize courts after many years, which should in theory make it possible to bring cases for serious offences against and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and to help combat the culture of impunity. The case currently before the assize courts against 83 persons, including Simone Gbagbo, is a good start towards combatting the impunity that reigned for nearly two decades. However, the Independent Expert points out that the proceedings still concern a restricted period, that of the electoral crisis in 2010, despite the fact that serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law had been committed for more than a decade before then. The Independent Expert also emphasizes that the charges concern acts prejudicial to State security. There is still impunity for the perpetrators of serious violations of human * Late submission. GE.15-08296 (E) 020615 030615 