A. Report The final report marks the conclusion of a commission’s/mission’s investigations and is the most visible outcome of its work.70 However, it is how the report, including its recommendations, is used that is most important. Such reports can have far-reaching consequences, as explained in chapter VI. The mandating authority usually sets the deadline for the report’s submission and presentation. Within the confines of their mandate, commissions/missions are generally free to decide how to structure and draft their reports. Nevertheless, a few established practices from previous experience regarding process and structure may prove helpful. With regard to the actual drafting, it is useful to agree at an early stage how the members and the secretariat envisage it to proceed; who will be responsible for drafting different sections; how the drafting will be coordinated, including by collating the different sections, ensuring consistency in language and tone and harmonization; how any disagreement among members will be resolved; and how the report will be finally reviewed and adopted. 1. STRUCTURE AND CONTENT The structure and preliminary outline of the report should be considered and agreed upon by the members as early as possible. Some reports are organized by alleged perpetrator, by region in which alleged violations were committed, according to the applicable international law, according to types of violations, or according to the commission’s/ mission’s specific objectives as defined by its mandate. Reports should include as a minimum the following information: • Executive summary; • Overview and explanation of the mandate and how the commission/mission interpreted it; • Terms of reference; • Methodology; • Composition of the commission/mission; • Cooperation (or lack thereof) received from the State or other actors object of the inquiry, including any positive measure taken by them to facilitate the work 70 Some commissions have been requested to present interim reports. For example, when its mandate was extended at the twenty-second session of the Human Rights Council, the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (2011) was required “to present a written report on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic during an interactive dialogue at the twenty-third, twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth sessions of the Council” (resolution 22/24 of 22 March 2013, para. 28). GUIDANCE AND PRACTICE 89