"Special procedures" is the general name given to the mechanisms established by the Commission on Human Rights and assumed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Currently, there are 30 thematic and 8 country mandates. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights provides these mechanisms with personnel, logistical and research assistance to support them in the discharge of their mandates.

Special procedures' mandates usually call on mandate holders to examine, monitor, advise and publicly report on human rights situations in specific countries or territories, known as country mandates, or on major phenomena of human rights violations worldwide, known as thematic mandates. Various activities can be undertaken by special procedures, including responding to individual complaints, conducting studies, providing advice on technical cooperation at the country level, and engaging in general promotional activities.

Special procedures are either an individual (called "Special Rapporteur", "Special Representative of the Secretary-General", "Representative of the Secretary-General" or "Independent Expert") or a working group usually composed of five members (one from each region) . The mandates of the special procedures are established and defined by the resolution creating them. Mandate-holders of the special procedures serve in their personal capacity, and do not receive salaries or any other financial compensation for their work. The independent status of the mandate-holders is crucial in order to be able to fulfill their functions in all impartiality. (See Fact sheet N.27 - under revision)

Amongst their activities, most Special Procedures receive information on specific allegations of human rights violations and send urgent appeals or letters of allegation to governments asking for clarification. In 2007, more than 1,000 communications were sent to Governments in 128 countries. 49% of these were joint communications of two or more mandate holders.

Mandate holders also carry out country visits to investigate the situation of human rights at the national level. Mandate holders typically send a letter to the Government requesting to visit the country, and, if the Government agrees, an invitation to visit is extended. Some countries have issued "standing invitations", which means that they are, in principle, prepared to receive a visit from any special procedures mandate holder. As of May 2009, 64 countries had extended standing invitations to the special procedures. After their visits, special procedures' mandate-holders issue a mission report containing their findings and recommendations.

Since June 2006, the Human Rights Council engaged in an institution building process, which included a review of the special procedures system. On 18 June 2007, at the conclusion of its fifth session, the Human Rights Council adopted a Resolution 5/1 entitled "Institution-building of the United Nations Human Rights Council," which included provisions on the selection of mandate holders and the review of all special procedures mandates. The reviews commenced at the sixth session in September, and continued at the resumed sixth session, seventh and eighth sessions of the Council. Some reviews remain to be conducted at the ninth session of the Council. As of September 2008, all thematic mandates, which have been reviewed, have been extended. Some new thematic mandates have also been established, namely on contemporary forms of slavery and access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Most country mandates have also been extended, with the exception of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia. (The mandates on Belarus and Cuba were discontinued in June 2007). A mandate-holder’s tenure in a given function, whether a thematic or country mandate, will be no longer than six years (two terms of three years for thematic mandate-holders).

In June 2007, the Council also adopted a Resolution 5/2, containing a Code of Conduct for special procedures mandate holders. At the Annual Meeting of special procedures mandate holders in June 2008, special procedures mandate holders adopted the Manual of the UN special procedures, which provides guidelines on the working methods of special procedures mandate holders. At the same meeting, they also adopted an Internal Advisory Procedure to review practices and working methods, by which the Code of Conduct and other relevant documents, including the Manual of the UN special procedures are implemented to enhance the effectiveness and independence both of the special procedures system as a whole and also of individual mandate-holders. At its 8th session, the Human Rights Council adopted a Presidential statement concerning the terms of special procedures mandate holders and their compliance with the Code of Conduct.

Internal Advisory Procedure to Review Practices and Working Methods (Adopted at the 15th Annual Meeting of Special Procedures)

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Statement of the annual meeting of Special Procedures’ mandate-holders on the occasion of the establishment of the Human Rights Council (23 June 2006)