A/HRC/10/6 page 5 II. COOPERATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND RELEVANT PARTNERS 9. Within the limited time available between taking up office and the need to submit this preliminary report, the independent expert has consulted different stakeholders as widely as possible. On a preliminary and informal basis, she has discussed her mandate with some States. She has also had preliminary and informal discussions with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in both Geneva and New York, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), UN-Water and OHCHR. She also had the occasion to meet with the Senior Adviser to the President of the General Assembly on water issues and her team in New York, in addition to holding discussions with some non-governmental organizations, national human rights institutions and academic institutions that are working in the area of water and sanitation. 10. The independent expert has also had informal meetings with members, including chairpersons, of various treaty bodies, and she hopes to be able to meet officially with the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at its upcoming session in May 2009 in order to discuss her mandate and potential collaboration. She has also met some of the other special procedures mandate holders, and envisages much cooperation with them in her future work. 11. The independent expert met with and greatly appreciated the support and encouragement of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and her staff concerning her mandate and programmed activities. 12. In 2008, the independent expert attended two meetings on the subject matter of her mandate: one in Berlin, organized by the Federal Foreign Office and one in Oslo, organized jointly by Oslo University, Oxford University and UNDP. On these occasions she had the chance to meet with many key actors working on water and sanitation. Since taking up her mandate, the independent expert has also attended, or been represented at, various NGO meetings to present her mandate and explore deeper cooperation. 13. The independent expert is very grateful to all those with whom she has met. She notes a momentous and important interest in the areas covered by her mandate and hopes that in the years to come she will be able - as time and resources permit - to enhance consultations and develop a true cooperation with all stakeholders working on subjects related to her mandate. She is also inspired by the work, commitment and dedication of many of the States, individuals and organizations she has met with concerning the subject matter of her mandate. III. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 14. The OHCHR study concluded that the increasing references to water in human rights instruments as a component of other human rights reflects the growing importance of the human