A/HRC/43/42/Add.1 Annex Report of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism on her visit to South Africa I. Introduction 1. The Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism undertook a visit to South Africa from 16 to 26 September 2019. The visit was carried out at the invitation of the Government and pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 37/5, which mandates the Independent Expert to undertake country visits to assess the human rights situation of persons with albinism. 2. The Independent Expert held meetings in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Richards Bay and Durban, in the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. She met with government officials representing the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the Department for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, the Department of Social Development, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Department of Basic Education, the Department of Higher Education and Training, the Department of Health, the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, the Department of Public Service and Administration, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the Department of Correctional Services, Statistics South Africa, the South African Police Service, the National Prosecuting Authority, the State Security Agency and the South African National Defence Force. She also met with the Law Reform Commission, and with “chapter 9” institutions – specifically with representatives of the South African Human Rights Commission, the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities, and the Commission for Gender Equality. 3. The Independent Expert held a consultation with over 40 leaders of civil society organizations serving persons with albinism, from six provinces, nearly all of whom were persons with albinism. Through that consultation,1 she obtained first-hand knowledge about challenges faced by persons with albinism in South Africa. She provided technical support for the process of developing a national action plan on the promotion and protection of human rights for persons with albinism in South Africa. 4. She also met with offenders convicted of crimes against persons with albinism, representatives of faith-based organizations, traditional healers, academics and researchers. She visited Prinshof School, for persons with visual impairments, and also met with around 50 young learners with albinism from various parts of the country at a mentorship workshop held in Durban. 5. The Independent Expert sincerely thanks each person and entity that made time to meet with her and share their experiences. She extends her utmost gratitude to the Government of South Africa for its excellent cooperation. She also thanks colleagues at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for Southern Africa, in Pretoria, for their excellent support and efforts in making her visit a productive one. 1 2 Organized with the help of the University of Pretoria and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).