A/HRC/10/58 page 14 47. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, established in 1996 following the signing of an agreement between the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is mandated, inter alia, to monitor the human rights situation in the country and to strengthen the capacity of national institutions working on human rights issues in order to ensure that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is able to fully comply with provisions of international and regional treaties to which it is party. 48. During the reporting period, the UNJHRO has taken both responsive and proactive measures to address human rights violations occurring in areas of armed conflict as well as challenges of a more structural nature that are hindering the enjoyment of rights. In this light, the UNJHRO has strengthened both its monitoring and advocacy activities. In areas of armed conflict, human rights officers have been deployed in special joint protection teams established by MONUC to enhance its capacity to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence. 49. In order to assist the Government with judicial and disciplinary follow-up of serious human rights violations, follow-up committees have been established by the Ministries of Defense and Interior at the national and provincial level with the participation of the FARDC, the PNC and the judiciary. One of the major activities carried out by the UNJHRO was to actively follow up on human rights violations committed by state agents on a case-by-case basis, in particular through participation in these committees. For other state institutions, similar committees have not been established, making collaboration more difficult. This is particularly the case for the ANR and the Republican Guard. 50. Both within the follow-up committees and through activities targeting the broader public, special attention is devoted to cases relating to sexual violence. The UNJHRO has also intensified efforts to fight impunity in the area of sexual violence by continuing its trial monitoring activities. 51. In late 2008 the Senior United Nations Advisor and Coordinator for Sexual Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in consultation with relevant United Nations agencies and MONUC, finalized a comprehensive strategy to combat sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The strategy consists of a plan of action for each of four priority components, one of which, related to combating impunity, is led by the UNJHRO: The three main objectives of this component are (1) the development of an effective penal policy specifically targeting sexual violence and adopting a victim-centered approach, (2) the improvement of access to justice for victims; and (3) the removal of existing obstacles to the implementation of the sexual violence law passed by the Congolese parliament in 2006. 52. Two initiatives related to UNJHRO-led component are currently being implemented: 1) advocacy for the prosecution of alleged perpetrators of sexual violence crimes; 2) follow-up with the Ministry of Justice on the implementation of a “Roadmap against impunity for sexual violence”. This document, developed in March 2008, consists of a six-point programme proposing quick-impact measures to advance judicial responses to crimes of sexual violence: 1) enactment of a Presidential decree exempting victims of sexual violence from paying court costs; 2) adoption of a standardized medical certificate for victims of sexual