A/HRC/33/51 I. Introduction 1. The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances was the first United Nations human rights thematic mechanism to be established with a universal mandate, by the Commission on Human Rights resolution 20 (XXXVI) of 29 February 1980. The mandate was most recently extended by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 27/1 of 25 September 2014. 2. The primary task of the Working Group is to assist families in determining the fate or whereabouts of their family members who are reportedly disappeared. In that humanitarian capacity, the Working Group serves as a channel of communication between family members of victims of enforced disappearance and other sources reporting cases of disappearances, and the Governments concerned. 3. Following the adoption by the General Assembly of its resolution 47/133 and of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Working Group was entrusted with monitoring the progress of States in fulfilling their obligations derived from the Declaration. The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 7/12, encouraged the Working Group to provide assistance in the implementation by States of the Declaration and of existing international rules. 4. The present report reflects the activities of and communications and cases examined by the Working Group covering the period from 16 May 2015 to 18 May 2016. A summary of the decisions on individual cases taken by the Working Group and communications transmitted to the States concerned during the reporting period is presented in a table (see sect. III). 5. Since its inception, the Working Group has transmitted a total of 55,273 cases to 107 States. The number of cases under active consideration that have not yet been clarified, closed or discontinued stands at 44,159 in a total of 91 States. During the reporting period, 161 cases were clarified. II. Activities of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances: 16 May 2015 to 18 May 2016 A. Activities 6. During the period under review, the Working Group held three sessions: the 107th session, from 14 to 18 September 2015; the 108th session, from 8 to 12 February 2016; and the 109th session, from 9 to 18 May 2016. The 108th session was held in Rabat and the other sessions were held in Geneva. 7. Post-sessional documents were adopted and published after the 107th (A/HRC/WGEID/107/1); 108th (A/HRC/WGEID/108/1); and 109th (A/HRC/WGEID/109/1) sessions. Those documents should be considered complements to the present annual report. 8. As from 18 September 2015, the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group has been Houria Es Slami. Bernard Duhaime was elected Vice-Chair during the 107th session of the Working Group. Osman El-Hajjé and Jasminka Dzumhur completed their appointments as members of the Working Group during the reporting period and were replaced by Tae-Ung Baik and Henrikas Mickevičuis, respectively. 3