A/HRC/43/64 I. Introduction 1. The present report contains an overview of the special procedures system, highlighting activities undertaken by mandate holders in 2019. It also provides information on the work of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures and elaborates on the main points discussed and the conclusions reached during the twenty-sixth annual meeting of special procedures. II. Facts and figures A. New mandates 2. The Human Rights Council has not established any new mandate since June 2017. The total number of mandates stands at 56, of which 44 are thematic and 12 countryspecific (A/HRC/43/64/Add.1, chap. XV). B. Mandate holders 3. The special procedures system currently includes 80 mandate holder positions. The Human Rights Council appointed one new mandate holder in 2019. The gender balance has remained stable: 44 per cent of current mandate holders are female, and 56 per cent male. 4. As of 31 December 2019, 23.75 per cent of mandate holders came from Member States of the United Nations belonging to the African Group, 13.75 per cent from the AsiaPacific Group, 10 per cent from the Eastern European Group, 21.25 per cent from the Latin American and Caribbean Group and 31.25 per cent from the Group of Western European and Other States (A/HRC/43/64/Add.1, chap. II). C. Country visits 5. Mandate holders conducted 84 in situ visits to 57 States and territories (A/HRC/43/64/Add.1, chap. V). In 2019, two Member States extended a standing invitation to the special procedures and an additional five standing invitations were recorded, resulting in 126 Member States having extended a standing invitation (A/HRC/43/64/Add.1, chaps. III and IV). 6. As of 31 December 2019, the large majority of Member States, namely 171, had received at least one visit from a mandate holder. However, 22 Member States had not yet been visited by any mandate holder, of which 6 had not yet received a request for a visit, 13 had not yet accepted a request, 1 had extended an invitation and 2 had accepted visits that had not yet taken place (A/HRC/43/64/Add.1, chap. VII).1 7. Mandate holders also conducted several academic and working visits in order to, inter alia, gather information for their reports and studies or to provide Governments or other stakeholders with advice. D. Communications 8. In 2019, mandate holders transmitted 669 communications, 529 of which were sent jointly, to 151 States and 54 non-State actors. The communications covered 1,249 individuals, 268 of whom were identified as female. A total of 425 replies, of which 390 were substantive replies, were received in 2019 (this includes replies to communications sent before 2019). A total of 336 replies to communications sent in 2019 were received, of 1 Information on the status of all country visits requested by mandate holders and forthcoming visits is available at https://spinternet.ohchr.org/Home.aspx?lang=en. 3