A/HRC/4/43 page 21 Annex II STATEMENT OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF SPECIAL PROCEDURES MANDATE-HOLDERS ON THE OCCASION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL We, the mandate-holders of the special procedures, welcome the establishment of the Human Rights Council. We see the establishment of this new institution as a window of opportunity to reinvigorate efforts to promote and protect the global human rights system. We look forward to contributing actively to this collective effort. As the Secretary-General recalled in his statement to the first session of the Human Rights Council, “these mechanisms - most of which take the form of individual people, chosen for their expertise and serving without pay - constitute the frontline troops to whom we look to protect human rights, and to give us early warning of violations. By raising the alarm and then investigating, they keep the spotlight of world attention focused on many of our most pressing human rights dilemmas”. Special procedures “give a voice to the voiceless victims of abuses, and their reports provide a starting point for discussion on the concrete measures that Governments need to take to put a stop to violations, and to ensure that human rights are protected in future”. Over the years, that voice has brought credibility and integrity to the human rights machinery, providing daily protection to victims of human rights violations in all parts of the world and working with Member States to make human rights protection more effective. The mechanism of special procedures - which encompasses Special Rapporteurs; Special Representatives of the Secretary-General; Representatives of the Secretary-General; Representatives of the Commission on Human Rights; independent experts; and Working Groups - was created by the United Nations human rights system to bring objectivity, expertise and credibility to the process of monitoring human rights protection. Their independence from external political or other influence is the crucial element which enables them to fulfil their functions with true impartiality. To retain this unique quality, it is important that potential mandate-holders are in no way perceived to be partisan. Therefore it is required that independent human rights experts appointed as these special procedures are not in decision-making positions within the executive or legislative branches of their Governments. Special procedures include thematic mandates which investigate the situation of human rights in all parts of the world. Other mandates deal with the overall human rights situations in a specific country. This requires them to take the measures necessary to monitor and respond quickly to allegations of human rights violations against individuals or groups, either globally or in a specific country or territory, and to report on their activities to the United Nations. We note that cooperation with special procedures was a factor taken into account in the elections of the present States Members of the Human Rights Council. We encourage the Council to further strengthen this approach by calling on its current and future members to extend full cooperation to special procedures, including by extending standing invitations to visit the country. We welcome the ongoing collaboration and constructive dialogue between special procedures and current members of the Council, 17 of which have extended standing invitations