A/HRC/25/55 disseminating information about the UPR and creating open and safe spaces to allow for the effective participation of defenders. The Special Rapporteur believes that States seeking election to the Council should commit to implementing the Declaration at the national level, as a part of their voluntary pledges and commitments (para. 113). 110. The Special Rapporteur has highlighted certain countries as examples of best practice with regard to consultations in preparation for the UPR. In Guatemala, for the first national report, the Government worked together with the OHCHR country office to consult and train civil society. In Tonga, the first national report was endorsed by civil society as a whole. In Switzerland, the Foreign Ministry posted the first draft national report on their website and invited comments thereto it (ibid., paras. 56–58). 111. The Special Rapporteur is pleased to note that the outcome of the review of the work and functioning of the Council (resolution 16/21, annex) includes an explicit call to States to conduct broad consultations with stakeholders regarding the implementation of the recommendations. 112. The Special Rapporteur has addressed the UPR process at numerous occasions during her country visits. She recommended that Armenia fully implement the recommendations made by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Report had made, and in her reports on her visits to India and the Democratic Republic of the Congo she recommended monitoring the full implementation of the UPR recommendations. After her visit to Honduras in 2013, she recalled the country’s commitment to improve the protection of defenders during its UPR and was pleased to note that Honduras had accepted a significant number of recommendations relating to defenders. 113. The Special Rapporteur would like to note that, within the burgeoning UPR process, there is still room for improvement. National consultations are a key element in the UPR process and States are responsible for creating space for defenders to effectively engage. Some States have failed to convene national consultations prior to finishing the national report. In other cases, such consultations have been convened, but reportedly were not meaningful, did not include human rights defenders or only included selected ones. 114. The Special Rapporteur is concerned that the perspective of human rights defenders seems to be lacking throughout the UPR process. For example, it is still exceptional for national reports to have detailed references to, or separate sections on, human rights defenders. Stakeholders should include information on the situation of defenders in their submissions. 115. The integration of defender-related issues should become more systematic. In this connection, the Special Rapporteur reiterates her recommendation to enhance coordination between States and regional groups. Additionally, the Special Rapporteur still notes a tendency for recommendations with regard to defenders to be vague, and believes that they should be more concrete to facilitate their implementation and measure the progress. The Special Rapporteur would also like to reiterate the need for awareness-raising and capacitybuilding to allow for the participation of defenders at the grass-root levels in the UPR process (A/HRC/10/12, para. 102). 116. The Special Rapporteur deeply regrets that defenders continue to face great risks when trying to engage with the United Nations, its mechanisms and representatives in the field of human rights, and international human rights bodies. As stated above, the Special 18