A/HRC/17/36 to request interim measures in cases pending before it, and that a call should be addressed to States to take action when such requests for interim measures were formulated. Experts were also in favour of including a procedure for friendly settlements between the parties in a communication, while ensuring that such a procedure would take fully into consideration the interests of the child. 6. The High Commissioner encouraged the Working Group to give due consideration to the suggestions made by the experts and to the comments on the proposal of the Chairperson prepared by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, as well as to relevant regional human rights instruments, such as the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which contained a communications and inquiry procedure. II. Organization of the session A. Election of the Chairperson-Rapporteur 7. At its first meeting, on 6 December 2010, the working group elected Drahoslav Štefánek (Slovakia) as its Chairperson-Rapporteur, by acclamation. Mr. Štefánek was nominated by the core group of States (Chile, Egypt, Finland, France, Kenya, Maldives, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand and Uruguay) supporting the initiative for a new optional protocol on a communications procedure under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The representative of Egypt, speaking on behalf of the core group, stated that Mr. Štefánek had successfully accomplished his mandate during the negotiations and, in the preparation of the draft optional protocol, had led the process in a transparent and cooperative way and should continue to do so in order to ensure a consistent approach. B. Attendance 8. Representatives of the following States Members of the Human Rights Council attended the working group meetings: Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Japan, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Maldives, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and Uruguay. 9. The following States and observers also participated in the meetings of the Working Group: Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Chad, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Greece, Haiti, the Holy See, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Mauritania, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, the Syrian Arab Republic, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) and Zimbabwe. 10. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) participated in the session. 11. The following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council were represented by observers: Defence for Children International, the European Disability Forum, Good Neighbors International, the International Commission of Jurists, International Service for Human Rights, Kindernothilfe, the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Plan International, Save the Children – Japan, Save the Children International, SOS Children’s 4