A/HRC/12/47 page 6 14. The High Commissioner noted that special procedures constituted the Human Rights Council’s most active and unique fact-finding, monitoring and advocacy mechanisms. She acknowledged the challenges special procedures were facing, but noted that their involvement in assessing and proposing solutions to crisis situations had enhanced their visibility. She welcomed the appointment of new mandate holders under the new selection procedure and thanked the Committee, as well as OHCHR staff members supporting it, for their support for the independence of the special procedures. 15. The High Commissioner asked the mandate holders to use the Outcome Document of the Durban Review Conference in their work. She also welcomed the synergies developed between the universal periodic review (UPR) and the independent expertise of special procedures, whose mandates covered the human rights themes identified as the thematic priorities of the Office in the framework of the planning process for 2010-2011. She assured the mandate holders of her commitment and her Office’s support for their work. 16. Mandate holders raised a number of issues, including strengthening the independence and effectiveness of the special procedures and the integration of the work of special procedures in the priority areas of work of the Office, such as the human rights-based approach to development. Participants were concerned about the lack of attention given by the Human Rights Council to country mandates, and discussed the need to address urgent human rights situations in an expeditious manner with States. V. THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AND THE SPECIAL PROCEDURES SYSTEM A. Update on recent developments 17. The Director of the Special Procedures Division of OHCHR briefed the participants on developments at the Council. She noted that the review of mandates had been completed in September 2008 and resulted in the extension of all thematic mandates. New mandates had also been created. While four country mandates had been discontinued in the last two years, country situations continued to be addressed under UPR, at special sessions and increasingly through the activities of thematic mandate holders. The Director referred to important contributions made by special procedures in relation to a number of United Nations human rights mechanisms and activities, inter alia four special sessions of the Council held between June 2008 and April 2009, substantive thematic panels at Council sessions, the Durban Review Conference in April 2009, the inaugural Forum on Minority Issues in December 2008, the first session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in October 2008, and the Social Forum in September 2008. 18. Participants discussed the increase in the scope of activities and responsibilities mandated by the Council to special procedures and the need for commitment to implement and follow through special procedures’ recommendations. Participants also discussed perceived attempts to curtail the independence and effectiveness of the special procedures, in particular in the context of the implementation of the Code of Conduct.