A/HRC/11/5 Introduction 1. In accordance with the mandate established by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 1995/70 and with Presidential Statement PRST/9/1, in which the Human Rights Council invited the new expert to undertake a mission to Haiti in the near future and report to it each year, the independent expert submits the present report to the Council at its eleventh session. The independent expert wishes to thank his predecessor, Louis Joinet, for the standard of his work and the care taken by him to forward to him the information necessary for a good understanding of the development of the mandate. He has noted the recommendations contained in the previous reports, whose implementation he has attempted to evaluate despite the unstable nature of the political situation in Haiti. 2. The independent expert has also noted the recommendations made by the treaty bodies to the State party at the time of presentation of its reports and was able to be present at the consideration of the report of Haiti by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in January 2009 (CEDAW/C/HTI/7). 3. The present report covers the period from January 2008 to February 2009 and contains a list of recommendations made to the Haitian Government and to the international community. 4. The independent expert carried out his mission to Haiti from 17 to 28 November 2008. He travelled to Fort Liberté, Ouanaminthe and Mirebalais, and wishes to express his gratitude to the many Haitians whom he met in the course of his visit, and also to Paris and Geneva. He was greatly impressed by the spirit of openness, historical rootedness and involvement of all those who live and work under sometimes extremely difficult circumstances in Port-au-Prince and in the departments which he visited. The series of cyclones and disasters severely affected the population and exacerbated the living conditions of the most vulnerable, further highlighting the link between insecurity and extreme poverty, the main cause of violence against the poorest. 5. The independent expert wishes to thank the Haitian authorities, who enabled his mission to be carried out in the best conditions. He is grateful to President René Préval, to Michèle Pierre-Louis, the Prime Minister, and to the other members of the Government and Parliament whom he met for the frankness and quality of their observations. 6. The independent expert also had discussions with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Hedi Annabi, and his Deputy, Luiz Carlos da Costa, and he wishes to thank all the members of their team, who afforded him effective support in regard to logistics, security and public relations. 7. The independent expert also thanks the officials of the main institutions of the United Nations and Organization of American States whom he was able to meet and the members of the diplomatic corps present in Port-au-Prince with whom he was able on a number of occasions to exchange views concerning the role and action modalities of the international community in Haiti. 8. The independent expert finally wishes to express his gratitude once again to the United Nations staff members with whom he worked, who shared with him the 4