(b) Organizing thematic conferences or seminars and invite the relevant mandate holders to attend; (c) Using thematic studies when formulating legislative proposals; (d) For “A” status NHRIs, attending sessions of the Human Rights Council and making oral statements during the interactive dialogue after the presentation by the relevant mandate holder; (e) Maintaining regular interaction with special procedure mandate holders at their annual meeting. This could provide a venue to discuss and identify best practices and lessons learned; (f) Monitoring retaliatory action against sources of information that have cooperated with a mandate holder during a country visit. NHRIs should inform OHCHR of such events, for the attention of the mandate holder. 3. Human Rights Council and the universal periodic review National human rights institutions have a clear role in the Human Rights Council: those with “A” status, along with the International Coordinating Committee itself and regional coordinating bodies of NHRIs speaking on behalf of their “A” status members, are entitled to: – Make oral statements under all agenda items of the Human Rights Council; – Submit documents, which will be issued with a unique symbol number; – Take separate seating in all sessions.71 The universal periodic review (UPR) is a human rights mechanism established through the Human Rights Council. It was created through United Nations General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006.72 It reviews the human rights obligations and commitments of each United Nations Member State. It is a cooperative mechanism and is intended to complement, not duplicate, the work of the human rights treaty bodies. Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 sets out the periodicity and process. The review operates on a four-year cycle. States prepare their reports through a broad national consultation process, which should include NHRIs. The review is conducted in a working group and leads to a report, consisting of a summary of the proceedings, conclusions and/or recommendations, and the voluntary commitments of the State concerned. Although the primary responsibility lies of course with the Member State, resolution 5/1 authorizes the active engagement of NHRIs by:73 – Submitting information for inclusion in the summary prepared by OHCHR of information provided by other relevant stakeholders; – Attending the UPR in the Working Group; – Making general comments before the adoption of the Working Group’s report in plenary; – Being involved in the follow-up to the recommendations (although the primary responsibility for this lies with the State). Rule 7 of the Human Rights Council’s rules of procedure (set out in its resolution 5/1) provides that the participation of NHRIs shall be based on arrangements and practices agreed upon by the Commission on Human Rights, including those in its resolution 2005/74. 72 For more information, see www.ohchr.org. 73 The universal periodic review shall “ensure the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including NGOs and NHRIs, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 and Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996, as well as any decisions that the Council may take in this regard” (para. 3 (m)). 71 133