A/HRC/45/34/Add.1 I. Introduction 1. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, presents the findings of her visit to the Congo from 14 to 24 October 2019. She thanks the Government for the invitation and for its excellent cooperation during the visit. 2. The visit follows up on a visit by her predecessor, James Anaya, in 2010. The Special Rapporteur examines how the Government has addressed the recommendations contained in the previous visit report and identifies continuing and new issues. 3. Since the previous visit, the country has faced political, security, financial and economic challenges. After the Constitution was revised in 2015 to allow for the re-election of the President in 2016, an armed rebellion arose in Pool Department, disrupting the functioning of the country until a ceasefire agreement was signed on 23 November 2017. The decline in world oil prices between 2014 and 2017 caused severe financial constraints. Although national efforts are ongoing to diversify the economy with international support, important sectors, including the construction, public works and telecommunications sectors,1 remain affected, contributing to an increase in extreme poverty. The country has qualified to receive assistance through the International Monetary Fund Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative2 and is negotiating a restructuring of the national debt.3 4. In Brazzaville, the Special Rapporteur met the Prime Minister, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and the Congolese Abroad, the Minister for Justice, Human Rights and the Promotion of Indigenous Peoples, the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education and Literacy, the Minister for Health and Population, the Minister for the Promotion of Women and the Integration of Women in Development, the Minister for Forest Economics, the Minister for Social Affairs and Humanitarian Action, the President of the Senate, the President of the National Assembly, the President of the National Human Rights Commission, the Executive Secretary of the Advisory Council on Women and representatives of the Ministry of Land and Public Domain Affairs. 5. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Resident Coordinator ad interim and the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and their offices for providing advice and logistical support. She met with and received information from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Food Programme (WFP). She met with representatives of the European Union and of indigenous and human rights civil society organizations, including the National Network of Indigenous Peoples of the Congo (Réseau national des populations autochtones du Congo, RENAPAC) and networks of non-governmental organizations active in sustainable forestry. She met with representatives of the Network of Indigenous and Local Peoples for the Sustainable Management of the Forests and Ecosystems of Central Africa (Réseau des populations autochtones et locales pour la gestion durable des ecosystèmes forestiers d’Afrique Centrale, REPALEAC). She also met with representatives of Congolaise industrielle des bois (CIB), a logging company owned by the international food and agribusiness group Olam, and with the Wildlife Conservation Society, a conservation organization based in the United States of America. Both CIB and the Wildlife Conservation Society operate in the Congo, including in Sangha Department. 6. The Special Rapporteur travelled 800 km north from Brazzaville to Sangha, one of the 12 departments constituting the Congo. Sangha borders Cameroon, Gabon and the Central African Republic and is the densely forested home of the Mbendjele, Mikaya and Baaka indigenous populations, whose representatives met with the Special Rapporteur. She was welcomed by the local authorities, including the Prefect of Sangha, in the departmental capital of Ouesso, the Mayor of Pokola and the Sub-prefect of Kabo district. She visited 1 2 3 See the World Bank economic profile of the Congo available at www.worldbank.org/en/country/congo/overview. See www.imf.org/en/About/Factsheets/Sheets/2016/08/01/16/11/Debt-Relief-Under-the-HeavilyIndebted-Poor-Countries-Initiative. See www.reuters.com/article/us-congorepublic-imf/imf-approves-congo-republic-bailout-after-chinadebt-deal-idUSKCN1U62NR. 3