A/HRC/12/40 page 3 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The present report is submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 9/15, in which the Council decided to extend by one year the mandate of the special procedure on the situation of human rights in Cambodia through the appointment of a special rapporteur to carry out the former functions of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. I was appointed by the Council on 25 March 2009 as the new Special Rapporteur to engage in a constructive manner with the Government of Cambodia for the further improvement of the situation of human rights in the country and to report on the implementation of my mandate to the Council at its twelfth session. I undertook my first mission to Cambodia from 16 to 26 June 2009. The present report is submitted in accordance with resolution 9/15. 2. The human rights situation in Cambodia has been the subject of extensive analysis by four former Special Representatives of the Secretary-General, as well as treaty bodies, most recently the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Their observations have outlined and illustrated the challenges that Cambodia has faced in promoting and protecting human rights and the dignity of each and every individual residing within its borders. The challenges ahead are many and of a serious nature, and the Government interlocutors have given the impression that they are not shying away from that reality. I intend to build on the work done by my predecessors and engage with the Government in a constructive manner aimed at achieving some tangible results for the people of Cambodia. II. THE FIRST MISSION 3. The purpose of my first mission to Cambodia, conducted from 16 to 26 June 2009, was to lay the groundwork for a constructive dialogue with the Government and to explore a programme of action to improve the human rights situation in the country. I intended to make the first visit an opportunity to become familiar with the human rights situation in the country, to establish mutual understanding and channels of communication with the senior members of the Government and to listen to people from a broad cross-section of society. 4. I was pleased to have the privilege of meeting with H.E. Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Foreign Minister, Hor Namhong, the Minister of the Interior, Sar Kheng, the President of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee, Om Yentieng, and a number of other senior members of the Government, the President of the Supreme Court, leaders of the main opposition party in the National Assembly, several ambassadors based in Phnom Penh, the United Nations Country Team, the President of the Bar Association, the President of the Press Council, and representatives of civil society, indigenous groups and communities affected by land evictions in the recent past. 5. I was pleased with the cordial reception that I received from members of the Government and other stakeholders in the society. There was a general willingness to work with me to improve the situation of human rights, and I wish to build on this momentum of cooperation in the implementation of my mandate. I also had an opportunity to meet and have a constructive dialogue in a spirit of cooperation with the Prime Minister during his private visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in July 2009. I am grateful to the Prime Minister for his willingness to cooperate to implement my mandate.