A/HRC/24/55 Office at Geneva, the Director of the Human Rights Council Special Procedures Division and the Chief of the Human Rights Council Branch of OHCHR. 24. The President of the Human Rights Council expressed appreciation for the opportunity to address the special procedures, pointing to the crucial role they play, calling them the “eyes and ears of the Council”. He welcomed the outgoing Chairperson of the Coordination Committee and congratulated the new Chairperson on his election, stating that he looked forward to their future cooperation. He welcomed the growing participation of mandate holders in the Council, including statements by two mandate holders in the urgent debate on the Syrian Arab Republic on 29 May 2013. He reassured special procedures mandate holders of his commitment to preserve and strengthen their participation in the work of the Council. 25. The President of the Human Rights Council provided an update on his recent trip to New York where he had highlighted the issue of the increasing number of mandates created by the Council without the matching necessary resources. The President stated that special procedures were essential to foster human rights mainstreaming within the United Nations system, including by cooperating with various United Nations entities. He highlighted the full independence and integrity of special procedures mandate holders and his strong stance in relation to derogatory remarks and personal attacks against them during Council sessions. He underlined his firm commitment to preserve the space available for civil society and to denounce publicly any acts of intimidation or reprisals against those who sought to cooperate with human rights mechanisms. 26. The Chief of the Human Rights Council Branch observed that the Council was continuing to create new mandates, testifying to their importance and States’ recognition of their crucial role. He referred to the Coordination Committee, whose role he considered to be currently recognized by the Council. The Secretariat provided advice to the President, when personal attacks against mandate holders by States and others occurred during meetings. 27. Participants thanked the President of the Human Rights Council for his support and recommended that the time available to mandate holders during the interactive dialogue be extended. It was also proposed that mandate holders be provided an opportunity to participate in general debates. Mandate holders further encouraged the Council to be more proactive in following up on country visit reports. The question was raised as to whether special procedures, especially country mandates, could provide input into the UPR process, as was its role in the follow-up to the UPR outcome. The role of special procedures as an early warning mechanism for the Council was discussed. Special procedures urged the President to continue to react promptly to personal attacks within and outside the Council and support their independence. 28. It was pointed out that the differing titles of special procedures mandates (special rapporteurs, independent experts and working groups) were considered confusing for stakeholders and consistency in nomenclature was needed.3 The important role of country offices in follow-up at the national level and in assisting country visits was also highlighted. 3 8 As contemplated in Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, annex, para. 59.