E/CN.4/2005/85/Add.4 page 4 Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants visited Peru from 20 to 30 September 2004 at the invitation of the Peruvian Government, which she would like to thank for its full cooperation during her visit. She would also like to thank the office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Peru for providing valuable assistance, which considerably eased her task. 2. The visit enabled the Special Rapporteur to meet her objective of compiling first-hand information from a large number of sources on the departure of Peruvian citizens to other countries, the better to assess the reform of the policy of consular assistance and protection to Peruvians abroad. The Special Rapporteur was also able to investigate the situation of foreigners deprived of liberty in Lima’s prisons. 3. The Special Rapporteur would like to express her thanks to the many representatives of civil society and private individuals she was able to interview, and particularly the National Human Rights Coordinating Committee, for its help in organizing thematic meetings. The Special Rapporteur would like to acknowledge publicly the work of the Episcopal Commission for Social Action (CEAS) in Peruvian prisons and the work with migrants conducted by the Pastoral Group on Human Mobility of the Episcopal Conference. I. PROGRAMME OF THE VISIT 4. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur visited Lima, Tacna and Tumbes. In Lima, she had meetings with the following members of the Government: the Deputy Minister Secretary-General of Foreign Affairs, the Under-Secretary for Peruvian Communities Abroad, the Director of Human Rights, the Deputy Minister of the Interior, the Deputy Minister for Women, the Deputy Minister of Labour and the Deputy Minister of Justice. She also had meetings with the Director-General and departmental heads of the Department of Migration and Naturalization (DIGEMIN), officials of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, the head of the Balance of Payments Department of the Central Reserve Bank, the Cross-sectoral Standing Working Group on Trafficking in Persons, the chairman of the Congressional Foreign Affairs Committee, the chairman of the National Youth Council, the Vice-President of the National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) and the acting Ombudsman. 5. The Special Rapporteur held consultations with the United Nations Resident Coordinator, representatives of United Nations agencies in Peru, the regional director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Secretary-General of the Andean Community. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs convened a meeting with the consuls of Ecuador, Japan, Spain and Switzerland, the vice-consuls of Argentina and the United States of America and the adviser to the Italian consul. 6. During her stay in Lima, the Special Rapporteur met representatives of the National Human Rights Coordinating Committee, the NGO Movimiento El Pozo, international NGOs, the Pastoral Group on Human Mobility of the Episcopal Conference and members of groups of displaced persons.