A/HRC/28/63 56. The Special Rapporteur has noted with great interest that, over the past few years, human rights defenders have been active in ensuring that the protection promised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is extended to new threats to human dignity. As a result of their work to combat gender-related violence against women, they argue that rights should be protected also within the household and the community. They contend that multinational corporations should be held morally and legally liable for their actions and omissions that deprive men and women of their fundamental rights. They are working to ensure that universal access to primary education and antiretroviral treatment becomes a fundamental right and is not treated as a service that is dependent on charitable action or an aspect of economic development. 57. Human rights defenders are often exposed to the same threats and attacks, but some are more exposed or more threatened, or are subjected to particular attacks, in the form of smear campaigns, intimidation, stigmatization, threats to their families, defamation, accusations, ridicule or red tape. 58. The Special Rapporteur intends to consider extending the protection mandate entrusted to him as widely as possible and to go to great lengths in exercising his mandate, where necessary, in order to keep the Council and the General Assembly informed. Like his predecessors, he will seek to develop new and even more sophisticated methods to help protect the rights of human rights defenders. C. Promotion of closer cooperation with all the parties concerned 59. There are many parties involved in the promotion of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and their protection: States, above all, and then the United Nations, regional mechanisms for the protection of human rights defenders, national human rights institutions, NGOs, regional human rights courts and the media. 60. States have primary responsibility for protecting human rights defenders and the Special Rapporteur intends to make technical cooperation with governments a central feature of his activities, where this is possible and desirable. Such activities may take place in Geneva, with the permanent missions, but the Special Rapporteur notes that he is available to travel to capitals for meetings with representatives of governments that are willing to cooperate with him. 61. The United Nations system has a vital role to play in contributing, to a greater or lesser extent, to the protection of human rights defenders who are exposed to risk. This applies particularly to peacekeeping missions, where they have a specifically human rights mandate, such as the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINOSA), the United Nations Office in Burundi and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONASCO). The Special Rapporteur intends to make contact with heads of peacekeeping missions and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York to present his mandate and set out possible areas of cooperation to ensure better protection for human rights defenders facing conflict, internal disturbances or post-conflict situations. 62. Relations with United Nations country teams on the ground, with specialized institutions and with bodies of the United Nations system could be strengthened in order to ensure that, acting in accordance with their individual mandates, they can contribute more effectively to the protection of human rights defenders. At the first regional consultation, troubling evidence was put forward on the absence of responses, or inadequate responses, from some United Nations staff members concerning the protection-related needs of human rights defenders. In his next report on regional consultations, the Special Rapporteur will provide the Council with more detail and put forward possible courses of action. 10 GE.14-25280