A/HRC/8/12 page 14 Nargis, which left so many dead and homeless. Assisting victims and recovering from such natural disasters may require the support of the international community to supplement the efforts of the authorities of the affected country. 59. The principles of equality and non-discrimination are contained in numerous human rights instruments to which Myanmar is a State party, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. These principles are the key to ensuring a human rights-based response to natural disaster situations. Another key principle is the involvement of the affected communities in the decisions that will have an impact in their lives. The right to have access to free and impartial information and the right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by human rights law, should also be respected and provided. 60. In this context, the Special Rapporteur calls on all actors to pay special attention to the situation of women, children, and in particular the situation of orphans or children separated from their parents, internally displaced persons, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, persons living with HIV/AIDS and minority ethnic groups. It is essential that a full protection-coordination mechanism be established in the country, in close coordination with the Government. 61. To promote and facilitate a rights-based approach to disaster relief, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee adopted its Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters in June 2006. The Special Rapporteur very much hopes that the Government of Myanmar and the international, regional and national organizations involved in the provision of assistance to address the needs created by the cyclone pay special attention to these Guidelines. While the Operational Guidelines are mainly addressed to intergovernmental and non-governmental humanitarian actors, they are certainly a very useful tool to guide the Government’s efforts to assist in getting the lives of its people back to normal. V. METHODOLOGY, ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMME OF WORK OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR: PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW 62. The Special Rapporteur wishes to emphasize that, as his primary task, he would like to cooperate with and assist the Government of Myanmar in its efforts in the promotion and protection of human rights. The Special Rapporteur will highlight any shortcomings with a positive approach, in order to assist the authorities to remedy them. 63. Taking into consideration the major human rights issues set out above, the Special Rapporteur, within his mandate, will also identify particular topics that deserve special attention and present a programme of work in his next report to the Council. 64. The Special Rapporteur is of the view that, in order to report on the progress made by Myanmar in the implementation of Council resolutions and to adequately monitor developments in the overall human rights situation of the people of Myanmar, in-depth research, including discussions with the experts in the country, is essential. In addition to receiving information from human rights organizations and international academic experts, the Special Rapporteur would like to engage with the experts in the country itself in order to advance the promotion and protection of human rights in the country. An outline for each thematic study will be prepared