A/HRC/17/19 B. Possible new functions to be performed by the office of the President and formerly performed by the secretariat 22. Apart from these existing functions, it should be emphasized that the President needs to be supported by a public information officer/speech writer. It should be recalled that, in December 2007, the General Assembly approved a post at the P-3 level for a Human Rights Officer to respond to an increasing number of media requests for information on the work of the Human Rights Council and interviews with the President and other members of the Council. Such media interest has continued to increase, requiring the position to be a full-time Public Information Officer undertaking critical public information functions, which include producing public information material about Council meetings in liaison and coordination with the Department of Public Information, the OHCHR Communications Section and other relevant parts of OHCHR; developing communication and media strategies; and writing, editing and updating information on the Council Internet and Extranet sites. It could be envisaged that this position be located within the Office of the President. 23. Furthermore, consideration could be given to a way in which legal advice on the application of the rules of procedure and related practice, currently provided by the secretariat of the Human Rights Council, could be provided to the President, including through the presence of a Legal Officer from the Office of Legal Affairs during Council sessions. IX. Modalities for staffing the office of the President 24. According to the outcome document of the review process in Geneva, the appointment of the staff of the office of the President should promote equitable geographic distribution and gender balance, and the staff of the office should be accountable to the President. It is anticipated that, as United Nations staff members, the staff of the Office will be selected and recruited in accordance with applicable Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Secretariat, thereby broadening the pool of candidates for respective positions and facilitating the composition of a geographically diverse staff. It is also anticipated that the staff of the Office will be expected to respect the Staff Regulations and Rules, including those relating to performance evaluation and confidentiality. 25. It is relevant to note, however, that experience of the Office of the President of the General Assembly seems to indicate that, even with the establishment of a certain number of positions, the high turnover of its staff has made it challenging for the Office to maintain its institutional memory. In order to ensure the institutional memory and the continuity of the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, therefore, consideration could be given to making arrangements to ensure that some of the staff members of the Office of the President continue to serve for successive Presidents. Such arrangements would not preclude the possibility for an incoming President to select staff, particularly his or her Special Assistant/Adviser against an established position or on secondment.1 1 8 In resolutions 58/126 and 59/313, in which the General Assembly decided to provide additional posts for the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Assembly also decided that those posts were to be filled on an annual basis following consultations with the incoming President.