A/HRC/38/25 principles from 24 out of the 35 respondents with a parliamentary human rights committee. As to the question on the relevance of additional information tools or focused seminars on international human rights issues relevant to parliaments, organized in-country by OHCHR/IPU or other United Nations entities, 29 respondents were supportive in that regard. This demonstrates that there is a need, and a demand, for measures designed to: reduce the information and knowledge gap with respect to United Nations human rights mechanisms and procedures; and further strengthen the oversight role of parliamentary human rights committees relating to executive branches’ primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights. VI. Conclusions 56. Parliaments are essential human rights actors and play a crucial role in the promotion and protection of human rights, primarily through their oversight of Governments’ human rights actions and policies, as well as their involvement in the international human rights mechanisms, in particular the universal periodic review. They are instrumental in establishing and ensuring a well-functioning national human rights protection system, laying the foundation for and strengthening the rule of law and its institutions, including the judiciary, and acting as guardians of the important role of civil society organizations. They have direct links with grass-roots organizations and individuals, as well as with national human rights institutions, through which human rights developments and concerns can be directly fed into the legislative and oversight roles of parliaments. Parliaments are thus uniquely positioned to contribute to closing the implementation gap, to prevent violations of human rights and to ensure better protection, especially of vulnerable groups. 57. The role of parliaments at the national level in the promotion and protection of human rights can be greatly enhanced through their active and proactive engagement with the international and regional human rights mechanisms, including the Human Rights Council, its universal periodic review mechanism and special procedures and the human rights treaty bodies. Parliaments may communicate their concerns and observations to the international and regional human rights mechanisms, and receive treaty body members or special procedure mandate holders when they visit the country. Parliamentarians may participate in the process of national consultations preceding the preparation of the national reports to be submitted to the Council in the context of the universal periodic review, or to human rights treaty bodies, as well as in the consideration of the reports prior to their submission to the international and regional mechanisms. Delegations sent to participate in universal periodic review and treaty body interactive dialogues could also include parliamentarians. 58. In order to promote and enhance synergies between parliaments and the work of the Human Rights Council, it is important for the Council to encourage States to promote the involvement of parliaments at all stages of the universal periodic review reporting process. The Council could also systematically recommend that States report on such involvement in their national universal periodic review reports and voluntary midterm reports, or during the interactive dialogue session of the review. 59. Parliaments therefore serve as a nexus between the international and national human rights arenas, providing as one of the principal channels through which the international and regional human rights mechanisms’ recommendations reach the national level, in particular in their legislative, budget allocation and oversight roles. Within the context of the universal periodic review, more than 50 per cent of recommendations require or involve parliamentary action. 60. Parliaments have a fundamental part to play in calling for the establishment of a national mechanism for reporting and follow-up, in taking an active part in such a mechanism, should they be so willing, and in ensuring an integrated approach to the reporting and implementation of human rights mechanisms’ recommendations. Similarly, parliaments have a significant role to play in calling for and ensuring the 11