A/HRC/6/19
page 2
Summary
The mandate of the group of experts, comprising seven mandate holders, was established
on 30 March 2007 by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 4/8 to ensure effective
follow-up to and foster the implementation of resolutions and recommendations on Darfur, as
adopted by the Council, the Commission on Human Rights and other United Nations human
rights institutions, as well as to promote the implementation of relevant recommendations of
other United Nations human rights mechanisms, taking into account the needs of the Sudan,
ensuring the consistency of these recommendations and contributing to the monitoring of the
human rights situation on the ground.
The group of experts submitted its first report to the Council at its fifth session
(A/HRC/5/6). The report, in which the group developed its methodology, contained a list of
recommendations in its annex I. Presented in chart form, the recommendations indicate the steps
required of the Government of the Sudan to implement each recommendation, over the short and
medium term.
In its resolution OM/1/3, adopted on 20 June 2007, the Council requested the group of
experts to continue its work for six months and to submit an update to the session of the Council
in September 2007 and a final report to the following session of the Council. After having
presented its interim report in September 2007 (A/HRC/6/7), the group of experts now submits
its final report pursuant to that resolution.
In the present report, the group of experts reviews the efforts of the Government of the
Sudan in implementing the recommendations of the group, using the indicators it put forward in
its first report, on the basis of information that the group received from the Government in
written and oral form, as well as from other sources, including United Nations and
African Union agencies, bodies and programmes with operational competence in Darfur.
The group of experts concludes that the process of cooperative engagement with the
Government of the Sudan has worked well in procedural terms. However, in terms of substance,
it observes that few recommendations have been fully implemented or reportedly had a tangible
impact on the ground. Several recommendations that were prioritized as short-term and could
have been implemented within three months, given that they did not require lengthy
administrative processes or additional resources, have not yet been implemented. While initial
steps have been made by the Government with regard to many of the recommendations, they
have not yet yielded a sufficient impact on the ground according to reports received from
organizations operational in Darfur. Finally, a significant number of recommendations have not
been addressed by the Government at all. The group of experts, while acknowledging the
activities undertaken by the Government of the Sudan to date, is concerned that reports received
clearly indicate that, with very few exceptions, those efforts have not yet led to an improvement
of the situation of human rights in Darfur.
The group of experts recalls the Council’s consensus on the seriousness of the ongoing
violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and the urgent need to focus on
the implementation of existing recommendations to enhance the human rights situation in
Darfur, and urges the Government to implement fully the prioritized recommendations without
further delay.