A/HRC/34/34 of facilities by their home institution, and/or cash support, for instance, for earmarked events or research and administrative assistance. Cash support was in most cases provided by Governments, foundations or the home institutions of mandate holders (see A/HRC/34/34/Add.1, chap. X). IV. Acts of intimidation and reprisal 51. Special procedures continued to take up cases concerning acts of intimidation and reprisal not only in relation to their work but also to the wider United Nations system in the field of human rights. Mandate holders have used communications, public statements, press releases, reports and meetings with various stakeholders to express their grave concern at all such acts. In 2016, special procedures addressed 61 such communications to 45 States and one non-State actor. In addition, some of these cases were followed by press releases in which mandate holders expressed their serious concerns over such practices. 52. In this context, the most recent report of the Secretary-General on acts of intimidation and reprisal, presented to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-third session (A/HRC/33/19), included 14 new cases taken up by special procedures and follow-up on five cases included in his previous reports based on the continued work of special procedures. These cases not only refer to engagement with special procedures but also with other United Nations human rights mechanisms. Special procedures also addressed issues related to ensuring access to the United Nations, and raised concerns concerning the role played by the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations in this context. 53. Moreover, the Chair of the Coordination Committee, in introducing the annual report to the Human Rights Council, on 15 March 2016, stated that acts of intimidation and reprisal remained undoubtedly of the most serious concern to mandate holders, and that such acts should be seen as not only aimed at preventing or stopping anyone from cooperating with them, but as an attack against the special procedures system as a whole. The Chair urged the United Nations to appoint a focal point on reprisals as soon as possible in order to develop a much needed system-wide and coordinated response. In this context, special procedures look forward to working with the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights after his designation by the Secretary-General to lead the Organization’s efforts to strengthen its response to this issue. V. Twenty-third annual meeting of special procedures 54. The twenty-third annual meeting of special procedures was held in Geneva from 6 to 10 June 2016. Mandate holders sought to enhance coordination and coherence on a number of mandate-transcending issues, and discussed, inter alia, the communications procedure, conflicts of interest, country action coordination, acts of intimidation and reprisal, human rights mainstreaming, cooperation with regional mechanisms and the achievements of special procedures. The mandate holders also held consultations with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the President of the Human Rights Council, heads of OHCHR field presences and the Director of the Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division, Member States and representatives of civil society. 10