A/HRC/21/62 Independent Expert of their need for technical assistance and capacity-building to enable them play an effective role in the promotion and protection of human rights in the Sudan. 48. There is no doubt that civil society organizations generally can play an important role in fulfilling the mandate of the Independent Expert These organizations have been the bedrock of the protection and promotion of human rights, wherever they are, particularly through their awareness-raising initiatives and also non-partisan objective scrutiny of the human rights record of the Government. 49. The attention of the Independent Expert has been called to the recent closure by the Government security agencies of the offices of a civil society organisation that works actively on the protection of women’s rights and legal assistance, the “Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, in South Darfur. 50. In his engagement with the Government, the Independent Expert emphasized the importance of creating an environment of cooperation with civil society. In a State still in transition like the Sudan, civil society has a great contribution to make in many areas, including to the current constitution-making process, the promotion of women’s rights and the promotion of press freedom. The role of civil society is crucial in helping the Government to fulfil its international human rights obligations. 51. The Independent Expert also wishes to emphasize the role of the academia in contributing to technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives in the Sudan. There are capable academics in different Sudanese universities, such as the University of Khartoum and the Ahfad University for Women, who have technical expertise in relevant areas of capacity-building that can be useful in the context of the mandate of the Independent Expert. The Independent Expert met with academics from the University of Khartoum, who expressed their readiness to provide the Government with technical advice in the area of human rights. He is of the view that providing relevant academic experts with necessary technical assistance will be valuable in widening the opportunities to promote the improvement of human rights in the Sudan. IV. Conclusions 52. From the meetings held with the various stakeholders in the Sudan, the Independent Expert identified the following preliminary challenges: (a) The need for the Government of the Sudan to demonstrate its determination and political will to address the human rights concerns raised by international partners and potential donors; (b) The need to rebuild a lasting climate of confidence and trust between the Government of the Sudan, civil society organizations and the international community, and to facilitate the effective promotion and protection of human rights in the country; (c) As reflected by the costs indicated in the different proposals submitted by both governmental and non-governmental actors, capacity-building initiatives are capital-intensive and will require high levels of funding that need to be sourced both internally, from the Government and from different bilateral/multilateral partners; (d) The need to identify and mobilize support from bilateral and international partners and donors to support technical assistance and capacitybuilding initiatives in the Sudan. 53. The Independent Expert concludes that, given the nature of the abovementioned challenges, his mandate cannot be implemented in just a few months but 12