E/CN.4/1998/79 page 9 D. Work done since the last session 24. The Special Rapporteur was informed of the work done since the last session by the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Working Group set up by the Commission to deal with the human rights of migrants and the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. (a) The Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities 25. With regard to the Special Rapporteur's mandate, the Sub-Commission, meeting in Geneva in August 1997, adopted resolution 1997/5 on racism and racial discrimination on 15 August 1997, in which it “notes the work of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and calls upon both member States and the Secretary-General to provide the Special Rapporteur, without delay, with all the necessary assistance and resources to enable him to carry out his full mandate” (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1997/L.11, para. 13). (b) The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 26. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination presented its annual report to the General Assembly (A/52/18), reflecting the work of the two sessions held in Geneva, from 3 to 21 March 1997 and from 4 to 22 August 1997 respectively. In his address to the Third Committee, the representative of the Committee asked member States which had not yet done so to ratify the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (148 States have either ratified or acceded to the Convention) and called on States parties which had not presented reports during the last five years to do so. He asked the Assembly to recommend that States parties amend article 8, paragraph 6, of the Convention concerning the financing of the Committee and deplored the increasing tendency for certain States, organizations or groups to bring pressure to bear on Committee members, especially those acting also as special rapporteurs on human rights in certain countries. (c) Working Group on the human rights of migrants 27. In paragraph 3 of its resolution 1997/15 on migrants and human rights, the Commission decided: “to establish, within the approved overall budget level for the current biennium, a working group consisting of five intergovernmental experts, appointed on the basis of equitable geographical representation after consultations with the regional groups, to meet for two periods of five working days prior to the fifty-fourth session of the Commission, with a mandate to: - Gather all relevant information from Governments, non-governmental organizations and any other relevant sources on the obstacles existing to the effective and full protection of the human rights of migrants;