took place in 1984. Since 1995, the chairpersons of the treaty bodies have met annually. The meeting provides a forum for the chairpersons of the ten human rights treaty bodies to discuss their work and consider ways to make the treaty body system as a whole more effective. Issues addressed at these meetings have included the streamlining and overall improvement of human rights reporting procedures, harmonization and efficiency of the committees’ methods of work, follow-up to world conferences and financial issues. Informal consultations with State parties as well as United Nations partners, NHRIs and NGOs have also been a feature of these meetings. Since 1999, the chairpersons have held meetings with special procedures mandate holders (with either thematic or country mandates). Their discussions have focused on technical questions, such as increasing the exchange of information and best practices between treaty bodies and special procedures, cross-referencing and joint follow-up to their respective recommendations. In 2010, the meeting was held for the first time outside of Geneva, in Brussels. The idea was to bring the treaty bodies closer to the level where they are implemented and to raise awareness at the regional level of their work so as to strengthen linkages and synergies between international and regional human rights mechanisms and institutions. It was agreed to hold the meeting in a differ�ent region every other year. The inter-committee meeting Between 2002 and 2011, the annual meeting of chairpersons was complemented by an “inter-committee meeting”, which included the chairpersons and two additional members from each committee. The first such meeting focused on the harmonization of working methods. The State parties welcomed the institution of the inter-committee meeting. The stronger representation of the committees allowed for more detailed discussion of recommendations on working methods than had been possible at the meetings of chairpersons. One of the chairs of the treaty bodies usually chairs both the inter-committee meeting and the meeting of chairpersons, on a rotating basis. Following a recommendation of the meeting of chairpersons in 2010, a working group of the inter-committee meeting on follow-up was established, composed of both the rapporteurs on follow-up to concluding observations and the rapporteurs on follow-up to individual communications of each treaty body, if applicable, or the members responsible for follow-up activities. The meeting of chairpersons further recommended that other thematic working 38