A/HRC/4/27 page 7 16. On 21 July 2006, the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, together with five other mandate-holders issued a statement on the armed conflict in Israel, Lebanon and Gaza. Noting that the conflict was posing serious human rights and humanitarian threats to the civilian population, they urged parties to the conflict to comply with the international legal obligation to distinguish between civilian and military objectives, and ultimately called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. C. Participation in workshops and meetings 17. On 3 May 2006, the Special Rapporteur was invited to the celebrations of the World Press Freedom Day, organized by the Department of Public Information of the United Nations Office at Geneva, where the participants discussed the role of the press and the media in general for the enhancement of democracy and advancement of human rights. In his speech, the Special Rapporteur called upon all Governments to combat impunity with regard to violence against journalists and media personnel by bringing to justice those responsible and by taking effective measures enabling journalists and media personnel to continue their work freely and independently. 18. On 24 June 2006, the Special Rapporteur participated in the Eighth Annual NGO Forum on Human Rights organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ireland. The theme of the Forum, chosen to coincide with the inaugural session of the Human Rights Council, was “Global Human Rights Protection - the way forward”. In his address, the Special Rapporteur made a number of remarks about the consequences that the dissolution of the Commission on Human Rights and the establishment of the Human Rights Council could have on the protection of human rights worldwide. He also expressed his concerns for the safety of journalists and their independence, and made some observations on defamation of religions. 19. In June 2006, the Special Rapporteur also attended the thirteenth meeting of the special rapporteurs/representatives, independent experts and chairpersons of working groups of the special procedures of the Commission on Human Rights and advisory services programme held in Geneva. 20. On 1 December 2006, at the invitation of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, the Special Rapporteur participated in a workshop of the “Berne Process”, in Brussels, which is an informal exchange of information and experiences between like-minded States and institutions that are engaged in dialogues, consultations or technical cooperation with China to promote and protect human rights. D. Country visits 21. The Special Rapporteur wishes to express his appreciation to the Governments of Algeria, Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Honduras, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, the Sudan and Ukraine for inviting him to visit their countries. In this connection, the Special Rapporteur recalls that the timely identification of dates and agreement on visit programmes are essential for the satisfactory implementation of his country missions.