87 ANNEX IV Guidelines on country visits endorsed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights: Note on visits of treaty body experts to reporting States (Endorsed by the High Commissioner on 23 March 2005) Within the past few years, some States reporting to human rights treaty bodies have invited the chairperson and/or other members of treaty bodies concerned to visit their respective  territories before the consideration of their report by a treaty body. States extending invitations have been predominantly from the Asian region and Hong Kong, under the former United Kingdom administration and at present, as Special Administrative Region of China, has been particularly active in this regard. Hong Kong has systematically invited treaty body experts to visit its territory before the consideration of reports of the United Kingdom (until 1999) and of China (after  1999), which contain a section concerning Hong Kong. Recently, the treaty body that has received the highest of such invitations has been the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)] does not encourage treaty body experts to visit the territory of a reporting State party before the consideration of its report. Inviting States frequently suggest that visits prior to consideration provide a direct opportunity for treaty bodies to assess the degree of implementation of treaty provisions. However, [OHCHR] is of the view that such invitations may be perceived as an attempt to influence the outcome of the consideration of the report. In addition, it often happens that the media and civil society in the countries confuse human rights treaty bodies with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and may attribute statements made or positions taken by the treaty body experts during their visit to the High Commissioner. [OHCHR] has adopted the following guidelines regarding invitations to and visits by treaty body experts: 1. If an invitation to visit a reporting State party is sent by the Government concerned to treaty body experts through the secretariat, the invitation will be delivered promptly to its addressees. However, all treaty bodies should be