A/HRC/4/47 page 3 Introduction 1. In its decision 1998/269, the Economic and Social Council, taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1998/72, endorsed the Commission’s recommendation to establish a follow-up mechanism to make further progress towards the realization of the right to development as elaborated in the Declaration on the Right to Development, initially for a period of three years. The mechanism included the establishment of an open-ended Working Group with a mandate: (a) to monitor and review progress made in the promotion and implementation of the right to development as elaborated in the Declaration on the Right to Development, at the national and international levels, providing recommendations thereon and further analyzing obstacles to its full enjoyment, focusing each year on specific commitments in the Declaration; (b) to review reports and any other information submitted by States, United Nations agencies, other relevant international organizations and non-governmental organizations on the relationship between their activities and the right to development; and (c) to present for the consideration of the Commission on Human Rights a sessional report on its deliberations, including advice to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with regard to the implementation of the right to development, and suggesting possible programmes of technical assistance at the request of interested countries with the aim of promoting the implementation of the right to development. 2. At its fifth session, in February 2004, the Working Group on the Right to Development agreed to recommend to the Commission on Human Rights that it establish a high-level task force on the implementation of the right to development, within the framework of the Working Group, in order to assist it in fulfilling its mandate as reflected in paragraph 10(a) of Commission resolution 1998/7. At its seventh session in January 2006, the Working Group agreed to recommend to the Commission to extend the mandate of the Working Group and the high-level task force for a further period of one year (see E/CN.4/2006/26, paras. 76 and 77). 3. In its resolution 1/4, the Human Rights Council decided to renew the mandate of the Working Group for a period of one year, requested the high-level task force to meet with a view to implementing the relevant recommendations contained in the report of the seventh session of the Working Group, and requested the Working Group to meet for a period of five working days in the first three months of 2007, to consider the findings and recommendations of the task force and further initiatives in accordance with its mandate. 4. The third session of the high-level task force on the implementation of the right to development took place in Geneva from 22 to 26 January 2007 and submitted its conclusions and recommendations contained in its report (A/HRC/4/WG.2/TF/2) for the consideration of the Working Group. 5. The Working Group on the Right to Development convened its eighth session in Geneva from 26 February to 2 March 2007 to consider the report of the task force and further initiatives in accordance with its mandate.