A/HRC/26/30 The full realization of the right to access information,3 is another crucial element in the promotion of free and fair democratic elections. As further detailed below, informed political debate requires transparency, with respect to the conduct of political organizations, the financing and promotion of political campaigns, and the ownership of media groups. II. Activities of the Special Rapporteur 6. During the reporting period, the Special Rapporteur continued to participate in national and international events relating to the right to freedom of opinion and expression. In October 2013, he submitted his report to the General Assembly (A/68/362), in which he addressed the right to access information held by public bodies, emphasizing its relation with the right to truth. In 2013, he also undertook missions to Montenegro from 11 to 17 June, to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from 18 to 21 June, and to Italy from 11 to 18 November. His preliminary findings on these visits are detailed in the three additional reports to the 27th session of the Human Rights Council. 7. The Special Rapporteur regrets never having received a response from the Government of Indonesia to his repeated requests for a new date to visit the country, after the Government asked for his visit, previously scheduled for January 2013, to be postponed. He also expresses disappointment that the Government of Pakistan did not provide a date for his visit to the country, despite having invited the mandate holder to visit in early 2012. The following States never responded to requests for visits by the Special Rapporteur: Islamic Republic of Iran (visit requested in February 2010); Sri Lanka (visit requested in June 2009 and 2012); Thailand (visit requested in 2012); Uganda (visit requested in May 2011); and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (visit requested in 2003 and in 2009). 8. The Special Rapporteur has attended a number of international events at which topics studied in his previous reports were debated. In particular, he contributed to various seminars addressing freedom of expression and privacy in digital communications. In September 2013, he participated in a side event focusing on the topic at the twenty-fifth session of the Human Rights Council. In October 2013, he participated in a hearing at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on freedom of expression and communications surveillance by the United States of America, in the Americas and at the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Media and Information Society in Belgrade. Since November 2013, he has been a member of the High-level Panel on Global Internet Cooperation and Governance Mechanisms. The panel brings together representatives of government, civil society and industry with the aim of proposing frameworks for Internet cooperation and a road map to address Internet governance challenges. In February 2014, he participated in an expert seminar on the right to privacy in the digital age, hosted in Geneva by the Permanent Missions of Austria, Brazil, Germany, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Norway and Switzerland. 9. For the preparation of the present report, the Special Rapporteur reviewed studies on communications in electoral processes. He also organized a sequence of regional expert meetings, bringing together electoral authorities, researchers, journalists, activists and representatives of international organizations working on matters related to communications in electoral process in various regions. The consultations took place in Bangkok (co-hosted by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance and FORUM-ASIA); Johannesburg, South Africa (co-hosted by the University of Pretoria); Guatemala City (cohosted by the Instituto DEMOS); Madrid (co-hosted by the Fundación Cultura de Paz and 3 4 See A/HRC/68/362.