A/HRC/43/37 features good stories and impactful measures taken on the basis of mandate holders’ recommendations, is a good initiative that could be replicated for other mechanisms. 27. Greater synergies and exchange of information between special procedures and other human rights mechanisms should also be promoted. Special procedures and treaty bodies could work together more closely, for example, on country reviews and the consultation processes that lead to the adoption of general recommendations. E. Universal periodic review 28. The universal periodic review is widely praised for its universality, inclusiveness and acceptance by all States. The long-term preventive potential of this mechanism is also generally acknowledged. Its capacity to address immediate human rights emergencies is limited owing to the periodicity of the review cycle. But here again is a mechanism whose preventive potential is underutilized in the absence of the adoption of an explicitly preventive perspective. The national preparatory process leading to the review could have a significant preventive impact if conducted inclusively through the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders, including, inter alia, various government institutions, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, development actors, financial institutions and peacebuilders and if all of them were more explicitly attuned to prevention. Consultations should be expanded as broadly as possible and include all relevant State institutions, including parliaments, since many recommendations require legislative changes. It was suggested that OHCHR support capacity-building activities conducted for this purpose. 29. The consultations showed that for the universal periodic review process to have a concrete preventive impact, more informed, precise and results-based recommendations were indispensable. The proliferation and dispersed nature of recommendations in outcome reports do not promote the adoption of a systematic approach to prevention. In order to enhance the preventive potential of the universal periodic review, States also need to adhere to this approach and take steps accordingly. This includes the clustering and prioritization of recommendations, during the review and when developing national implementation plans. The country matrices produced by OHCHR, which list recommendations adopted during the previous cycle, clustered by theme, in order to facilitate the assessment of their level of implementation, are a welcome initiative. States should be encouraged to use these matrices, and to give due consideration to the letters containing priority recommendations sent by the High Commissioner after each review. 30. An assessment of the implementation of universal periodic review recommendations adopted during previous cycles should be prioritized. Human rights indicators could be used to this end. Mid-term reports are a key tool to conduct this assessment, even though only 73 States have produced such reports so far. At midway between two cycles, OHCHR regional and country presences should also systematically engage in discussions with the States concerned on the implementation of universal periodic review recommendations. The setting up of national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up should also be encouraged, as long as it is done in consultation with all actors, including all branches of government and civil society organizations. F. Investigative bodies 31. Investigative bodies can take various forms, from fact-finding missions to groups of experts, high-level missions or commissions of inquiry. When establishing such mechanisms, the Council should consider the preventive impact that they could have and reflect it in their mandates. So far, only the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has such a prevention component in its mandate. As they are usually created after a human rights emergency or a conflict has occurred, investigative bodies are not always seen as mechanisms that are preventive in nature. Yet, they can contribute to the non-recurrence of violations, through the deterrent effect of the international attention, the collection and archiving of information on human rights violations, the identification of alleged perpetrators, and their recommendations on accountability and transitional justice, including reparation processes for victims. Some States also highlighted that the media work of investigative mechanisms can also play a preventive function, insofar as it raises perpetrators’ awareness about the consequences of their acts. 7