A/HRC/26/52 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 15 May 2014 English Original: French Human Rights Council Twenty-sixth session Agenda item 10 Technical assistance and capacity-building Report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Côte d’Ivoire, Doudou Diène* Summary In this document the Independent Expert reports on his sixth visit to Côte d’Ivoire, from 11 to 24 February 2014. He presents an assessment of changes in the human rights situation in the country since his previous report, which followed his fifth visit to the country from 14 to 23 October 2013 (A/HRC/25/73). The bulk of the report concerns a proposed programme of action for addressing the needs of the victims of the Ivorian crisis, which is the outcome of the international conference on the situation of victims of the Ivorian crisis, organized in Abidjan from 12 to 14 February 2014 on the initiative of the Independent Expert. The Independent Expert draws attention to the fact that the situation in Côte d’Ivoire is at a crossroads and is becoming ever more complex with the approach of the 2015 presidential elections. This complexity is compounded by a regional context that is still fragile on account of the emerging conflicts. In the report, the Independent Expert re-examines a number of constant concerns connected, inter alia, with the increase in sexual violence, the persistence of the abuses committed by the Forces républicaines de Côte d’Ivoire (FRCI) and the dozos, the population’s socioeconomic circumstances and with concerns about freedom of expression and association. The Independent Expert at one and the same time confirms the progress made by Côte d’Ivoire towards consolidating the rule of law, while underscoring the major challenges that still remain. * Late submission. GE.14-02949 (E) 051214 151214 