Human Rights Council
Twenty-fourth session
Agenda item 10
Technical assistance and capacity-building
Summary
Since presenting his ninth report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/21/61) in September 2012, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia has been working with the Federal Government of Somalia to develop a post-transition human rights road map for the country. Towards that end, he shared a first draft of the road map with the Government in early 2013.
The Independent Expert considered it expedient to focus the visit entirely on preparing the ground for the road map. This meant that the visit was limited primarily to Mogadishu, where he met with the President and his cabinet as well as with the African Union Mission in Somalia, United Nations agencies and members of civil society. He was thus unable to visit other parts of Somalia, including Puntland and Somaliland, as he usually does. He hopes to do that during his next trip to Somalia before the twenty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council.
Following his visit, the Government announced its decision to adopt a human rights road map, which was welcomed by the Human Rights Council at its twenty-third session, during which it took the decision to hold, at its twenty-fourth session, a stand-alone high-level interactive dialogue with the aim of exploring how all stakeholders can work effectively towards the finalization and implementation of the road map and the realization of human rights in Somalia (Council decision 23/114).
The present report contains a broad outline of the human rights issues proposed for consideration in the road map, together with short descriptions of each of them. The report concludes with an update on human rights violations and other important developments since the previous report, some personal reflections and some recommendations for the Government and other stakeholders.
