A/HRC/22/65 I. Introduction 1. In accordance with the mandate established by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 1995/70 and with the statement1 of the President of the Human Rights Council (“the Council”), the Council invited the independent expert to submit his report at the twentieth session, to pursue his mission in Haiti in the near future, and to report to the Council thereon at its twenty-second session. 2. The present report covers the period from June 2011 to December 2012 and contains a list of recommendations addressed to the Government of Haiti and the international community. 3. The independent expert undertook his latest mission to Haiti from 25 November to 1 December 2012. He stayed in Port-au-Prince and travelled to Cap-Haïtien. He expresses his gratitude to the many Haitians whom he met both on his mission and in Paris and Geneva. 4. The independent expert thanks the Haitian authorities, which enabled him to carry out his mission under the best possible conditions. He thanks President Michel Martelly, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and the other members of the Government and the Parliament with whom he was able to meet for the frankness and quality of their comments. He welcomes their decision to appoint a minister for human rights and action to address extreme poverty, which responds to one of his recommendations concerning the need to mainstream human rights in Haiti. 5. The independent expert also met with Mariano Fernández, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and with his deputies, Kevin Kennedy and Nigel Fischer. He wishes to thank all the members of their team who provided him with effective support. 6. The independent expert also thanks the officials of the main institutions of the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS) whom he was able to meet and the members of the diplomatic corps in Port-au-Prince and New York with whom he exchanged views on the role and activities of the international community in Haiti. 7. The independent expert wishes once again to express his gratitude to the United Nations staff members who worked with him and shared information and their experience with him. He pays tribute to their professionalism, determination and courage. The members of the Human Rights Section and Justice Section of MINUSTAH lent him unfailing support, both in Port-au-Prince and during his travels, and shared with him their assessment of the situation and of progress made with regard to the ongoing reforms. The independent expert would like to state that those two sections are invaluable partners in the execution of the mission entrusted to him by the Council. 8. In 2012, the population was hit hard once again by Cyclone Sandy, whose impact exacerbated the country’s already highly precarious living conditions, making the link between insecurity and extreme poverty, the main cause of violence against the poorest of the poor, even more evident. The population of Haiti is now waiting for a new phase to begin in the life of the country, a phase of reconstruction, economic growth and the establishment of the rule of law. “Eight million Haitians, out of an estimated population of 10 million, live without electricity. Five million cannot read or write and are in the dark both day and night. Eight Haitians out of every 10 are living on less than $2 a day. Two per cent of Haitians control 69 per cent of the country’s wealth. With a working population that 1 GE.13-10672 A/HRC/PRST/19/2. 3