A/HRC/7/28 page 8 B. Communications 1. Data on communications 19. Since the beginning of her tenure, the Special Representative sent 2,007 communications to 120 countries.3 The number of communications steadily increased over the years and remained stable in the last two. So did the number of countries to which communications were sent. Number of communications per year 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 20. In 2004, OHCHR upgraded the database on communications. This allowed the collection of a wider range of data, which are presented in the next paragraphs. Data refer to the period 1 January 2004 to 10 December 2007. 21. The Asia and Pacific region accounts for the highest number of communications (31 per cent), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (27 per cent), North Africa and the Middle East (15 per cent), Africa (14 per cent), and Europe, North America and Central Asia (13 per cent). 22. Communications sent concerned the situation of 3,376 defenders. Women defenders represented 22 per cent of cases addressed in communications, although this increased by eight points between 2005 (18 per cent) and 2006 (26 per cent). The regional breakdown indicates that communications concerned women defenders in higher proportions in Europe, North America and Central Asia, where 36 per cent of defenders whose situation was addressed in communications were women; followed by Latin America and the Caribbeans (25 per cent); Asia Pacific (21 per cent); North Africa and Middle East (15 per cent); and Africa (10 per cent). 3 Data refer from the beginning of the mandate until 10 December 2007 included. The number of communications related to 2007 includes cases sent from 2 December 2006 to 10 December 2007 for the first two graphs. In the following graphs, data are calculated using the calendar year from 1 January to 31 December with the exception of 2007 which includes data from 1 January to 10 December 2007.