A/HRC/36/36 security companies to operate prisons and detention facilities, he stressed that that could pose serious risks for human rights. He hoped that the discussions during the sixth session would continue to enhance the human rights perspective on the regulation, monitoring and oversight of the activities of private military and security companies. II. Organization of the sixth session A. Election of the Chair-Rapporteur 5. At its first meeting, on 22 May 2017, the open-ended intergovernmental working group elected, by acclamation, the Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations Office and other international organizations at Geneva, Nozipho Joyce MxakatoDiseko, as its Chair-Rapporteur. The open-ended intergovernmental working group then adopted its agenda (A/HRC/WG.10/6/1) and programme of work. B. Attendance 6. Representatives of the following States were present at the sixth session: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Panama, Peru, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of). Representatives of the State of Palestine, the European Union and the International Committee of the Red Cross were also present. Furthermore, representatives of Aspida Risk Management, the Association of World Citizens, Cercle de recherche sur les droits et les devoirs de la personne humaine, the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, Geneva for Human Rights, the International Commission of Jurists and United Villages were present. C. Introductory remarks of the Chair-Rapporteur 7. In her introductory remarks, the Chair-Rapporteur stressed that the sixth session would be primarily focused on responding to the mandate given to the open-ended intergovernmental working group by the Council. She trusted that, at the end of its sixth session, the open-ended intergovernmental working group would formulate a set of conclusions and recommendations that would address the possibility of elaborating an international regulatory framework on the regulation, monitoring and oversight of the activities of private military and security companies. She requested that all delegations focus their interventions with that aim in mind. 8. In that context, she extended her sincere thanks to the regional coordinators who had engaged with her extensively during the preparatory stage of the sixth session and had provided substantive inputs and contributions in order to develop the draft programme of work. Furthermore, the informal consultation with Member States, held on 15 May 2017, had been another opportunity to engage with delegations directly, which contributed to reducing the differences among delegations in relation to a number of outstanding issues related to private military and security companies. She also referred to the documents that had been circulated by the Secretariat, i.e. a compilation of recommendations from the five previous sessions and a discussion document (see section III, below). 9. The Chair-Rapporteur noted that the issues at hand were complex and multifaceted. Human rights abuses perpetrated by private military and security companies needed to be addressed and there was a need to ensure effective remedies for all victims. The previous sessions had been focused on a range of issues around those topics, and the processes, instruments and regulatory frameworks available at the national and international levels to 3