Independent Expert on Mali

About the mandate

The mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali was established in 2013 by Human Rights Council resolution 22/18. This mandate was extended for one year by several successive resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council, namely in 2014 by resolution 25/36; in 2015 by resolution 28/31; in 2016 by resolution 31/28; in 2017 by resolution 34/39; in 2018 by resolution 37/39; in 2019 by resolution 40/26; in 2020 by resolution 43/38; in 2021 by resolution 46/28; in 2022 by resolution 49/34; in 2023 by resolution 52/42 and in 2024 by resolution 55/25.

Human Rights Council resolution 55/25, adopted on 4  April 2024, extended the mandate of the independent expert for a period of one year to permit him to evaluate the situation of human rights in Mali and to provide his assistance in ensuring the promotion, protection and implementation of human rights and strengthening the rule of law. The resolution requests the Independent Expert, within the framework of his mandate, to work closely with all entities of the United Nations, the African Union, neighbouring States and all other international organizations concerned, and with Malian civil society. The resolution also requests the Independent Expert to submit a report to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-eighth session.

About the Independent Expert

Mr Eduardo Gonzalez (Peru) took office as independent expert on the human rights situation in Mali on 1 May 2024. The mandate of independent expert was renewed by the Human Rights Council on 4 April 2024 for a period of one year to assist the Government of Mali in its actions to promote and protect human rights and in the implementation of the recommendations made in Council resolutions. Mr Gonzalez is a transitional justice expert, who has supported truth, memory and reparation processes in all regions, including in Canada, Colombia, Tunisia, Sri Lanka and Finland. He has contributed to the discussion on the practice of reconciliation at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights on Indigenous Peoples. He has taught at the New School University and in Brooklyn College in New York City, and has published extensively on transitional justice.

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