E/CN.4/2000/9 page 7 8. The Special Rapporteur was elected Chair of the sixth Meeting of Special Rapporteurs/Representatives, Independent Experts and Chairpersons of the Working Groups of the Commission on Human Rights (31 May-4 June 1999). In this quality, he attended the inter-sessional open-ended working group on enhancing the effectiveness of the mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights (6-8 December 1999). The Special Rapporteur also participated in several conferences, including a conference on "Investigating and combating torture" organized by the University of Chicago (4-7 March 1999), the 4th Biennium Meeting of the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies in Stockholm (6 May 1999), a meeting on "Ethical values in politics" convened by the Government of Norway in Oslo (26 June 1999), and a workshop on the issue of torture organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Pristina (9-11 December 1999). On 19 November 1999, he addressed the participants of an international conference entitled "The prevention of torture at the dawn of a new millennium", organized by the Council of Europe for the 10th anniversary of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. III. INFORMATION REVIEWED BY THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR WITH RESPECT TO VARIOUS COUNTRIES 9. During the period under review, the Special Rapporteur sent 60 letters to 56 countries on behalf of about 700 individuals and 32 groups involving about 3,000 persons. About 150 were known to be women and 50 were known to be minors. The Special Rapporteur also sent 20 letters reminding Governments of a number of cases that had been transmitted in previous years. Together with individual cases the Special Rapporteur also transmitted to Governments 21 allegations of a more general nature. The Special Rapporteur sent 144 urgent appeals to 51 Governments on behalf about 430 individuals (of whom about 35 were known to be women and 45 to be minors) and 15 groups involving about 1,500 persons with regard to whom fears that they might be subjected to torture and other forms of ill-treatment had been expressed. In addition, 26 Governments provided the Special Rapporteur with replies on 155 cases submitted during the year under review, whereas 24 did so with respect to some 350 cases submitted in previous years. 10. This chapter contains, on a country-by-country basis, summaries of general allegations, individual cases, as well as of urgent appeals, and government replies. Observations by the Special Rapporteur have also been included where applicable. In view of the fact that most States have not been given sufficient time to respond to letters transmitting allegations, the Special Rapporteur has sought to avoid, in his observations at the end of country entries, reference to allegations transmitted during the year. Due to the late despatch of several regular communications in English, Governments did not have sufficient time to respond to allegations. Thus, the Special Rapporteur has not drawn any conclusions in relation to these allegations. As indicated last year, information provided by Governments regarding the Special Rapporteur's recommendations made after visits in previous years to Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, have been included in Addendum 1 to the present report. Owing to a lack of resources, the Special Rapporteur was not able to complete the study on human rights defenders to which he referred in his report to the General Assembly.