Human Rights Council Resolution 8/6. Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers The Human Rights Council Guided by articles 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 2, 4, 9, 14 and 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and bearing in mind the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, Recalling the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary; the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers; the Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors and the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct, Convinced that an independent and impartial judiciary, an independent legal profession and the integrity of the judicial system are essential prerequisites for the protection of human rights and for ensuring that there is no discrimination in the administration of justice, Recalling all the previous resolutions and decisions of the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly on the independence of the judiciary and on the integrity of the judicial system, Acknowledging the importance of the Special Rapporteur’s ability to cooperate closely, within the framework of his or her mandate, with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the fields of advisory services and technical cooperation, in an effort to guarantee the independence of judges and lawyers,