A/HRC/4/53 page 2 2. This report presents the Human Rights Council with information on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ implementation of the recommendation of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action with regards to the selection of the five highly qualified experts to produce recommendations on how to bridge the gaps in international instruments. 3. Resolution 2005/64 also called upon the Office of the High Commissioner to implement all the relevant recommendations of the third session of the Intergovernmental Working Group and to submit a progress report in this regard to the Commission at its sixty-second session. 4. Since the adoption of Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/64, the Intergovernmental Working Group held its fourth session in Geneva from 16 to 27 January 2006 and submitted the report on that session to the Commission on Human Rights (E/CN.4/2006/18). 5. The main conclusion of the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Working Group was that the nature and scope of the gaps in international instruments to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and their implementation need to be clearly defined. This clarity would then allow for the assessment of the most appropriate means to bridge both procedural and substantive gaps. In this regard, the Intergovernmental Working Group recommended that: (a) The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) should conduct a further study on possible measures to strengthen the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and undertake the development of additional recommendations or update its monitoring procedures as appropriate; (b) The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in consultation with the regional groups, should select five highly qualified experts to produce concrete recommendations on how to bridge the aforementioned gaps in the international instruments and in their implementation. In carrying out their mandate, the experts would consult with the human rights treaty bodies, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and other relevant mandate-holders. In this regard, the experts will address, but are not limited to, the areas identified in the conclusions of the Chair of the high-level seminar that took place during the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Working Group. Similarly, the experts’ work could include, but is not limited to, drafting a new protocol to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and/or adopting new instruments, such as conventions or declarations; (c) Both the CERD study and the report of the experts should be presented to the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Working Group for its consideration. 6. The Council, in its resolution 1/5 of 30 June 2006, extended the mandate of the Intergovernmental Working Group for a further period of three years and endorsed the above recommendations.