the Government concerned has ratified any relevant human rights treaty providing for an individual complaints procedure. It acts essentially as a channel of communication between the families of disappeared persons and Governments, and has successfully developed a dialogue with the majority of Governments concerned with the aim of solving cases of disappearance. To avoid any delays in its attempts to save lives, the Working Group has established a procedure to take urgent action on cases of disappearance alleged to have occurred in the three months before they are reported to it. The Working Group meets three times a year for five to eight working days, usually in Geneva. Its meetings are held in private. However, the Working Group regularly invites representatives of Governments, nongovernmental organizations, family members and witnesses. Following each session, the Working Group informs Governments, in writing, of the decisions taken with regard to disappearances in their country. It reminds Governments, at least once a year, of the total number of cases transmitted in the past which have not yet been clarified. Twice a year it reminds Governments of “urgent action” cases sent during the preceding six months for which no clarification has been received. Furthermore, at any time during the year any Government may request, in writing, the summaries of cases that the Working Group has transmitted to it. Another of the Working Group’s activities is to conduct country visits. These are intended to facilitate the dialogue between the authorities most directly concerned, the families or their representatives and the Working Group, and to assist in the clarification of reported disappearances. In recent years, the Working Group has visited countries with the particular aim of clarifying cases of disappearance and discussing further efforts that Governments should take, in cooperation with the Working Group, to address all cases of disappearance in the light of international human rights standards, especially the Declaration. With the General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Working Group has, since 1992, also been entrusted, in addition to its core mandate, with monitoring States’ progress in fulfilling their obligations deriving from the Declaration and providing assistance to them in its implementation. The Working Group draws the attention of Governments and non-governmental organizations to different aspects of the Declaration and recommends 13