A/HRC/34/52 institutions’ missions. A noteworthy example would be the recommendations on women defenders or defenders working on development projects or on the protection of ethnic and cultural minorities. 53. With regard to peacekeeping missions, the Special Rapporteur also met several times with representatives of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in New York, with whom he discussed the possibility of conducting joint initiatives with missions. This is one of the issues he would like to take action on, as a matter of priority, during his second mandate, for instance, by engaging with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Regional mechanisms 54. Cooperation with regional mechanisms for the protection of human rights defenders was enhanced by increasing the frequency and quality of interaction with the mechanisms, including by holding inter-mechanism meetings. Between June 2014 and November 2016, four inter-mechanism meetings were held between Paris, Geneva, Strasbourg and Brussels. 3 In this regard, the Special Rapporteur is pleased with the many initiatives carried out jointly with the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and with the Rapporteur on human rights defenders of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, including joint public communications and events held in the field. In addition, he attended meetings held by the International Organization of la Francophonie, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European External Action Service. If the Special Rapporteur’s mandate is renewed, he will seek to strengthen collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and to develop initiatives during the sessions of the African Commission, which he plans to attend in 2017. 55. The three accounts below attest to the significant cooperation enjoyed with regional mechanisms. According to Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe: Close cooperation with the universal human rights system and regional mandate holders plays a significant role in my efforts to protect and support human rights defenders in Europe. I collaborate regularly with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on countries where the situation of human rights defenders is very challenging. I am convinced that by working together we will effectively combat impunity for attacks on defenders and prevent the worsening of their working environment. 56. According to José de Jesús Orozco, Rapporteur on human rights defenders of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: The mandate of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights regarding the situation of defenders highlights the crucial need for cooperation with the United Nations mandate holder on the issue of defenders. In addition to strengthening the roles of the two systems, such cooperation has underlined the need to redouble our efforts to promote and protect human rights in the Americas and to address, specifically, the plight of the defenders in the region. The result has been numerous joint initiatives, including public statements, meetings, thematic reports, activities in 3 12 These inter-mechanism meetings are organized and facilitated with the support of the World Organization against Torture and the International Federation for Human Rights Leagues, to which the Special Rapporteur extends his thanks. GE.17-00986