Human Rights Council Resolution 7/8. Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders The Human Rights Council, Recalling General Assembly resolution 53/144 of 9 December 1998, by which the Assembly adopted by consensus the Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, annexed to that resolution, and reiterating the importance of the Declaration and its promotion and implementation, Recalling also the continued validity and application of all the provisions of the above-mentioned Declaration, Recalling further all previous resolutions on this subject, in particular Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/67 of 20 April 2005 and General Assembly resolution 62/152 of 18 December 2007, Bearing in mind paragraph 6 of General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, Recalling Council resolutions 5/1 on institution-building of the United Nations Human Rights Council and 5/2 on the Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate-holders of the Human Rights Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate-holder shall discharge his/her duties in accordance with these resolutions and the annexes thereto, Emphasizing the important role that individuals and civil society institutions, including non-governmental organizations, groups and national human rights institutions, play in the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all,