A/62/280 II. Activities of the mandate A. Communications 5. One of the mandate’s pillars is the possibility to engage with Governments by sending communications on individual cases or legislation which raise concerns with regard to freedom of religion or belief. These communications usually are sent as a letter of allegation to the permanent mission of the State concerned. However, the Special Rapporteur may also resort to urgent appeals in cases where the alleged violations are time-sensitive in terms of involving loss of life, life-threatening situations, or either imminent or ongoing damage of an irreparable nature to victims that cannot be addressed in a timely manner by a letter of allegation. 6. Since the beginning of the mandate in 1986, the Special Rapporteur has sent a total of 1,085 communications, which comes to about one letter of allegation or urgent appeal every week. During the period under review, from 1 July 2006 until 30 June 2007, the Special Rapporteur sent 53 communications concerning reported cases in 29 countries. 7. Adequate cooperation by Governments is vital for the communications procedure to have the desired effect. The Special Rapporteur is grateful for the number of detailed answers which she has received. They help to clarify the legal and factual backgrounds of the alleged violations of freedom of religion or belief. These replies, as well as the initial allegations, are summarized in the Special Rapporteur’s communications reports (E/CN.4/2005/61/Add.1, E/CN.4/2006/5/ Add.1 and A/HRC/4/21/Add.1). The next annual report to the Human Rights Council will again be complemented by a summary of cases transmitted to Governments and replies received. 8. However, as her predecessor, Abdelfattah Amor, has already stated in his last report to the Commission on Human Rights (E/CN.4/2004/63, para. 113), the response rates need to improve. Firstly, this is evidenced by the fact that out of a total of 130 countries which have received communications from the mandate since the inception of the communications procedure, 20 countries have not replied. Secondly, throughout the years the response rates have fluctuated significantly, as detailed in the chart below. Percentage of States replying to the Special Rapporteur’s communications, 1988-2007 07-48490 5