During the past two mandates the Special Rapporteurs, Ms. Farida Shaheed and Ms. Karima Bennoune have worked in close cooperation with several CSOs. In fact, the office is rather dependent on verified information about violations from organizations such as Freemuse, PEN or local CSOs advocating and defending artistic freedom. Complaints about violations can be filed to the office of the SR. UN member states must respond to complaints (although they do not always do so). The SR can also request to visit countries. Country visits include consultations with CSOs as well as government representatives and finish with a declaration. From December 2021 a new SR, Alexandra Xanthaki has been appointed. Ms. Xanthaki will put a special focus on cultural rights for minorities and indigenous people. https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/CulturalRights/Pages/SRCulturalRightsIndex.aspx SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF OPINION & EXPRESSION Purpose of the mandate: the mandate of the Special Rapporteur was created by the Human Rights Council to protect and promote freedom of opinion and expression, offline and online, in light of international human rights law and standards. Current Mandate Holder: Irene Khan was appointed as UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression in August. An internationally recognized advocate for human rights, gender equality and social justice, she was Secretary-General of Amnesty International from 2001 to 2009 and Director-General of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) from 2010 to 2019. UN COMPLAINTS MECHANISMS The complaint procedure of the Human Rights Council addresses consistent patterns of gross and reliably attested violations of all human rights and fundamental freedoms occurring in any part of the world and under any circumstances (Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007). Two distinct working groups – the Working Group on Communications and the Working Group on Situations are responsible, respectively, for examining written communications and bringing consistent patterns of gross and reliably attested violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms to the attention of the Council. This complaint procedure is the only universal complaint procedure covering all human rights and all fundamental freedoms in all States Members of the United Nations. This procedure is confidential, with a view to enhance cooperation with the State concerned. 45