make recommendations on conditions applicable to the right in issue. They may however also visit particular States and intervene with governments when they feel it appropriate. Special Rapporteurs and working groups have been adopted on a number of themes including torture; disappearances; summary or arbitrary executions; religious intolerance; mercenaries; internally displaced persons; violence against women; education; extreme poverty and health; and promoting and protecting human rights whilst countering terrorism. 25. There are also country-specific mandates. These are independent experts or special rapporteurs which focus on a particular State, including, for example, for Sudan, Iran, Myanmar, the Palestinian Occupied Territories and Syria. F. Regional Human Rights Instruments 26. Along with the universal treaties that aim at worldwide membership, there also exist regional human rights systems, based on treaties whose membership is restricted to states within a particular region. These are:      The Arab Charter on Human Rights adopted by the Arab League on 15 September 1994, and which entered into force in March 2008.20 African [Banjul] Charter of Human and People’s Rights (1981) adopted by the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union); American Convention on Human Rights and Duties of Man (1969) adopted by the Organisation of American States; European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, (1950) adopted by the Council of Europe; Although not a binding treaty, the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration was adopted by the Summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in November 2012. The Council of Europe Key Human Rights Instruments 27. The Council of Europe was formed in May 1949 between the western democratic European States. Its statutory principles are pluralist democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law. Since 1989 membership has increased as states from the former eastern bloc have joined or submitted applications to join. There are currently 47 member States. 20 The Arab League of Nations was founded on 1945 in Egypt and its members include Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and Yemen, which are its founding members, and Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, The State of Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Southern Yemen, Sudan, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates. 14