A/HRC/4/43 page 23 1. Recognize the special procedures system as an indispensable mechanism for the promotion and protection of human rights; 2. Provide an opportunity to special procedures to directly and effectively interact with the Council by: (a) Expeditiously acknowledging and responding to the mission reports submitted by mandate-holders; (b) Responding swiftly to early warnings of impending egregious violations and systematically involving special procedures mandate-holders in the Council’s early-warning initiatives as well as in thematic debates and emergency sessions; (c) Providing, during its plenary sessions, for at least one-hour interactive dialogues with each mandate-holder; and (d) Encouraging its members to respond to each specific recommendations made by special procedures mandate-holders in their reports; 3. Make the work of the special procedures central to the system of universal periodic review, which will be undertaken by the Human Rights Council, by: (a) Focusing the universal periodic review on assessing States’ effective implementation of the findings and recommendations of independent expert bodies, rather than duplicating their efforts; (b) Making the findings and recommendations of the special procedures and treaty bodies (monitoring committees established by human rights treaties) an essential element of the universal periodic review; (c) Ensuring that the measure of cooperation given to special procedures is a central criterion used to assess States in the spirit of cooperation and constructive dialogue called for in General Assembly resolution 60/251 on the Human Rights Council; and (d) Involving effectively special procedures mandate-holders in the process of universal periodic review. 4. Encourage States to strengthen cooperation with special procedures by calling on States to extend invitations to special procedures; to promptly provide substantive replies to their communications; to promptly respond to requests for country visits, facilitating access to victims, rights-holders and non-governmental organizations; and to implement the recommendations submitted after the visit. 5. Become an active participant in urging States’ implementation of recommendations emerging from mandate-holders’ mission reports and communications, including enhancement of follow-up mechanisms.