A/HRC/19/21 mission was regrettably not granted access into the country. In June 2011, the Council adopted resolution 17/24, in which it requested OHCHR to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Belarus. Regrettably, I received no response to my request to send a mission for the purpose of fulfilling this mandate. 7. The Office has provided support to an increasing number of panel discussions of the Council (six for the eighteenth session) to address specific and emerging human rights issues, including the rights of victims of terrorism, the human rights aspects of terrorist hostage-taking, children working and/or living on the street, violence against women, integration of a gender perspective into the work of the Council, the right to adequate health of older persons, the role of international cooperation for the rights of persons with disabilities, languages and culture of indigenous peoples, best practices in the fight against racism, the human rights of people of African descent, the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace, and the realization of the right to development. 8. Despite calls made during the Council review for a more rationalized programme of work and calendar of resolutions, the Council has continued to adopt record numbers of resolutions, bringing the total number in 2011 to 108, as against 80 in 2010. This has resulted in the increase of new mandates, including reports, panels and other activities. It is increasingly difficult for the Office to give them all the attention and dedication that they deserve. (b) Universal periodic review 9. By the end of October 2011, all Member States had been reviewed, with a 100 per cent participation rate in the universal periodic review. The first cycle of the universal periodic review, which will be officially concluded in 2012, allowed us to take stock of the human rights situation in all Member States and provided a framework for each State to commit publicly to implementing universal periodic review recommendations. 10. Drawing on the resources of the Voluntary Fund for Participation in the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism, OHCHR convened 35 interregional, regional and national workshops to advise both States on the preparation of their national reports and stakeholders on their input to the review. 11. OHCHR has also provided assistance in follow-up to the universal periodic review recommendations in some 40 countries by means of, inter alia, the Universal Periodic Review Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance. It organized or coorganized, with Regional Offices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Commonwealth Secretariat and the International Organization of la Francophonie, regional, subregional or interregional meetings involving Members States, national human rights institutions and civil society actors in order to share information, experiences and good practices and to promote continued engagement in the process throughout the second cycle. 12. The modalities for the second cycle as adopted by the Council seek to strike a balance between reviewing the implementation of accepted recommendations and the consideration of new developments. Responsibility for implementation rests primarily with States, but other stakeholders have a role to play, and wide participation remains critical to ensure that the universal periodic review follow-up is integrated into national agendas. (c) Special procedures 13. Supporting the work of the special procedures of the Human Rights Council remains a priority for my Office. The role of special procedures remains essential in providing the Council with timely and reliable information, including at its special sessions. 4