A/HRC/36/38 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 13 July 2017 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirty-sixth session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Methods of work of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention* I. Introduction 1. The methods of work take account of the specific features of the terms of reference of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention under Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1991/42, 1992/28, 1993/36, 1994/32, 1995/59, 1996/28, 1997/50, 1998/41, 1999/37, 2000/36, 2001/40, 2002/42, 2003/31 and 2004/39, as well as Human Rights Council resolutions 6/4, 10/9, 15/18, 24/7 and 33/30. In resolution 1991/42, the Commission gave the Working Group the task not only of informing the Commission by means of a comprehensive report, but also of investigating cases of deprivation of liberty imposed arbitrarily. II. Functioning of the Working Group 2. The Working Group was established by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 1991/42. The initial mandate of the Working Group was renewed by the Commission and the Human Rights Council. The Council assumed the mandate of the Commission in its decision 1/102, and it renewed the Working Group’s mandate in its resolutions 6/4, 15/18, 24/7 and 33/30. The Working Group’s mandate is considered for renewal every three years. 3. The Working Group is organized internally as follows: (a) The Working Group shall elect, at its spring session, a Chair-Rapporteur and two Vice-Chairs for a term of one year, taking due account of the need for rotation among the geographical regions and the gender balance, among other considerations. They shall take office at the end of the same session. Each officer can be re-elected; (b) The Chair-Rapporteur shall perform the functions conferred upon him or her by the resolution that creates or renews the mandate of the Working Group, the methods of work and the decisions of the Working Group. The Chair-Rapporteur shall represent the Working Group before the Human Rights Council, States and other relevant stakeholders. She or he shall chair the sessions of the Working Group; * The present methods of work supersede those contained in document A/HRC/33/66. GE.17-11805(E) 