A/HRC/36/39 address intimidation and reprisals against those cooperating with the Organization on human rights. 119. Country visits are an integral part of the mandate of the Working Group. Visits allow the Working Group to highlight country practices in addressing enforced disappearance, to assist States in reducing obstacles to implement the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and to ensure direct contact with the family members of victims. The Working Group thanks the Governments of the Gambia, the Sudan and Tajikistan for the invitations extended during the reporting period. It also recognizes the support provided by the Government of Albania during the visit carried out in December 2016. During the reporting period, the Working Group also requested to visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan. In addition to having made new requests, the Working Group reiterated its past requests to visit the following countries, without having yet received a positive response: Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Burundi, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Nepal, Nicaragua, Philippines, Russian Federation, Rwanda, South Africa, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe. There are other countries that have invited the Working Group to visit and/or confirmed invitations, but for which specific dates have not been agreed, such as Algeria and Iran (Islamic Republic of). Visits to Libya and South Sudan, which have been accepted by the respective countries, have not taken place so far, mainly for security reasons. The Working Group therefore calls upon all States with pending requests for visits to respond favourably to them in the light of Human Rights Council resolution 21/4 and, for those that have agreed to visits, to respond as soon as possible with specific dates. 120. The Working Group reiterates its previous call to be given a role in the followup to the findings of commissions of inquiry and other fact-finding or investigative bodies created by the Human Rights Council insofar as they relate to enforced disappearances (see A/HRC/33/Add.51, para. 119). 121. The Working Group continues the practice to hold one session per year outside Geneva, in part so as to facilitate interaction with the relatives of disappeared persons and raise awareness of the Working Group’s mandate and activities at the local and regional levels. It appreciates the invitation received from the Government of the Republic of Korea to host a session during the reporting period as well as that from the Government of Belgium to host a session in Brussels in 2018. The Working Group invites other countries to follow these good examples. 122. The Working Group once again calls upon States that have not signed and/or ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance to do so as soon as possible and to accept the competence of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances to receive individual cases under article 31 and inter-State complaints under article 32 of the Convention. 25