A/69/44 witnesses were protected against all ill-treatment or intimidation as a consequence of his complaint or any evidence given; it indicated that, where reprisals had been initiated against non-governmental organizations or individuals for their cooperation and/or participation in the Committee’s work, the rapporteurs would communicate with the complainants, authorities in the relevant State party, OHCHR and the Secretary-General to request the immediate cessation of such acts. 28. In such cases, the Committee may ask the rapporteurs or other members to visit the States parties and places where the reprisals occurred, and request local institutions, nongovernmental organizations and country-based representatives of OHCHR to carry out such visits; it may also request the further intervention of other relevant United Nations bodies and officials, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In case of reprisals, those wishing to communicate with the Committee on the matter can contact the rapporteurs at cat@ohchr.org (see annex X to the present report). R. Treaty body strengthening process 29. At its fifty-second session, the Committee discussed the simplified reporting procedure (see para. 38 below) in the context of General Assembly resolution 68/268 on strengthening and enhancing the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system. In that regard, the Committee agreed to endorse some of the suggested elements contained in the note by the secretariat on the simplified reporting procedure prepared for the twenty-sixth meeting of chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies (HRI/MC/2014/4), namely, those on generalizing the simplified reporting procedure (para. 52) and on limiting the simplified reporting procedure to periodic reports (para. 53). The Committee also decided to endorse some of the other suggested elements contained in that note by the secretariat and in two other documents prepared by the secretariat (HRI/MC/2014/2 and HRI/MC/2014/3), subject to the principles of flexibility, constant evaluation and specificity. Further discussion will be held on those matters during the Committee’s retreat on working methods, to take place at the fifty-third session. S. Rules of procedure 30. At its fifty-second session, the Committee took a formal decision reiterating that, in the light of their importance and their brevity, the Guidelines on the independence and impartiality of members of the human rights treaty bodies (the Addis Ababa guidelines) should be annexed to the Committee’s rules of procedure in a single document as requested following the amendment of the rules of procedure at its fiftieth session, in May 2013, and stating that failing the inclusion of the annex, a footnote should be added to the rules of procedure explaining the reasons why the guidelines were not annexed. T. Thirtieth anniversary of the Convention 31. At its fifty-second session, the Committee decided to hold a half-day celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention, during its next November session, which will be associated to the recent initiative for the universal ratification and implementation of the Convention. 6 GE.14-12596