A/HRC/17/33/Add.2 I. Introduction 1. Pursuant to his mandate, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants visited Senegal from 17 to 24 August 2009 at the invitation of the Government. He is grateful to the Government, in particular the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Senegal in Geneva, for the support provided in the organization and conduct of his visit. The Special Rapporteur was able to experience teranga, the traditional hospitality for which Senegal is known. 2. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur met with the Ministers of: Justice; Interior; Local Communities and Decentralization; Defense; and Senegalese Abroad and senior officials from these Ministries, as well as with senior officials from the Ministries of: Foreign Affairs; Economy and Finance; Public Function, Labour, Employment and Professional Organizations; and Family, Food Security, Women Entrepreneurs, MicroFinance and Children. He also met officials from the National Agency for Statistics and Demography, and spoke with representatives of the National Assembly. The Special Rapporteur would like to express his sincere thanks to the Ministers and other officials for the frank and constructive discussions that were held. 3. The Special Rapporteur also held a number of consultations with the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the United Nations country team as well as with representatives of a wide range of civil society organizations. The Special Rapporteur wishes to expresses his gratitude to the Resident Coordinator, the United Nations agencies and, in particular, the West Africa Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for their cooperation and assistance prior to, during and after the visit. He is also grateful for the time that representatives of the civil society dedicated to him during this visit and for the information they provided. 4. The Special Rapporteur conducted field trips to Saint-Louis and Mbour, where he held discussions with representatives of local authorities and civil society organizations. During these trips the Special Rapporteur had the opportunity to gather information directly from migrants, including returnees. He is most grateful for their willingness to share with him their stories of suffering and despair. 5. The focus of this visit was out-migration, as the request of the Special Rapporteur to visit Senegal emanated from the unprecedented arrival, throughout 2006, of over 30,000 migrants to the Canary Islands aboard small boats. This peak coincided with the emergence of a new, remarkably long route from West African shores, including Senegalese ones. The characteristic vessel used by the migrants was the traditional West African pirogue, a long, colourful wooden fishing boat adapted to the needs and difficulties of the new route. 6. The Special Rapporteur wishes to pay tribute to those migrants who have perished at sea while attempting to reach far-off destinations and whose number is and will remain unknown. He notes that the harrowing journey evokes that of individuals who were forced to embark from the island of Goré during the period of slavery. II. General background: the migration phenomenon A. Movement of persons in and out of Senegal 7. The geostrategic position of Senegal, where sea, land and air routes towards the European and American continents converge, has made it a country of origin, transit and destination with regard to migratory flows from the West African region and beyond. 3