A/HRC/39/72 I. Introduction 1. The present report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Bahame Tom Nyanduga, covers the period since his previous report to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-sixth session (A/HRC/36/62). It is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 36/27, in which the Council requested the Independent Expert to continue to work closely with the Federal Government of Somalia at the national and subnational levels, as well as with all United Nations bodies, including the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), other relevant international organizations, civil society and all relevant human rights mechanisms, and to assist Somalia in the implementation of, inter alia, its domestic and international human rights obligations and Human Rights Council resolutions and other human rights instruments, including associated routine reporting. The Council also requested the Independent Expert to report to it at its thirty-ninth session and to the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. A. Political, socioeconomic and human rights landscape 2. As a background to the present report, it is imperative to record the steady progress made by Somalia during the past year, during which it continued to record significant improvements in the political, socioeconomic, humanitarian and human rights landscape, which led to stability throughout the country, with the exception of the reported terror attacks. The participation in 2018 of the Federal Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khaire, in meetings of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, held on 23–26 January 2018, was a highlight of the growing confidence in Somalia of the international community. Somalia continued to consolidate the peace, reconciliation and institution-building processes that had been a key feature since August 2012, when the Transitional Federal Government was established. However, despite the progress made, Somalia continues to face many security, political and economic challenges that have an impact on human rights situation in 2018. B. National constitutional convention 3. During the reporting period, the Federal Government embarked on the process of adopting a permanent constitution. On 13–15 May 2018, Somalia convened in Mogadishu a national convention on the launch of the constitutional review process and planned to have a new Constitution before the “one-person, one-vote” elections scheduled to be held in 2020. The convention included representatives of the Federal Parliament, the Federal Government, the judiciary, the National Independent Electoral Commission, the Boundaries and Federation Commission, the Federal Member States, the Banadir Regional Administration, youth groups, women, civil society organizations, professional associations, religious scholars, members of the Somali diaspora, people with special needs, traditional elders and members of the international community. 4. The Prime Minister pledged financial and political support to the process and expressed his hope that the country would have a new constitution by the end of 2019. The Federal Government pledged $3 million for the process and urged the participants to produce a Somalia-owned document that would guarantee national unity. The Independent Expert commends the Federal Government for undertaking an inclusive process and ensuring that the review is a Somali-owned process. It is of paramount importance to reach political agreement to define the allocation of powers, economic resources and revenues so that the Federal Member States are not left behind. To that end, the Independent Expert applauds the commitment made by participants at the convention. 4