A/RES/57/230 humanitarian aid signed by the Government of the Sudan, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement and the United Nations, and the two memorandums signed at the conclusion of the second round of peace talks on 18 November 2002; (b) The extension of the ceasefire agreement in the Nuba Mountains, signed on 19 January 2002 by the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement, as well as the Khartoum agreement to protect civilians and civilian facilities from military attacks, signed by the two parties on 10 March 2002; (c) The commitment of the Government of the Sudan to facilitate the establishment of an independent national institution on human rights; (d) The recent visit of the Secretary-General to the Sudan; (e) The interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Sudan 6 and the cooperation extended by the Government to the Special Rapporteur during his visits to the Sudan in February, March and October 2002; (f) The cooperation extended by the Government of the Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement to other United Nations mandate holders in the field of human rights, as well as their recent cooperation with the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies, to mitigate the effects of war on civilians, and emphasizes the need to adhere to the principle of full, safe and unhindered access and to strengthen the support provided to such agencies; (g) The commitment of the Government of the Sudan to embark on a programme of civic education in democracy and to create an inter-party liaison mechanism in order to foster democratization; (h) The establishment by the Government of the Sudan of an advisory council for Christians and its commitment to appoint Christians to senior executive positions in the Ministry for Religious Affairs and to promote inter-religious dialogue; (i) Decree 14/2002 of 26 January 2002 of the President of the Sudan, by which the Committee for the Eradication of Abduction of Women and Children was re-established and further empowered, the Committee’s facilitation of flights for the repatriation of abducted children and the intention of the Government to hold tribal conferences in the Kordofan and Darfur regions, as well as the facilitation and support provided by the Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement to the International Eminent Persons Group, which investigated slavery, abduction and forced servitude in the Sudan during its visit in April and May 2002, the report issued by the Group on 22 May 20027 and the commitment of the Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement to consider implementing the recommendations of the Group; (j) The signing of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict;8 _______________ 6 See A/57/326. Slavery, Abduction and Forced Servitude in Sudan: report of the International Eminent Persons Group, 22 May 2002, United States Department of State. 8 Resolution 54/263, annex I. 7 2