A/HRC/60/62 associated personnel and expert mechanisms.28 During the reporting period, the targeting of independent experts of United Nations human rights mechanisms continued and had a deterrent effect on individuals and groups seeking to cooperate with them. 28. Efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations of the Economic and Social Council have continued given the growing number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with or applying for consultative status. At its regular session in 2025, the Committee received 536 new applications for consultative status, including 323 applications deferred from an earlier session. The Committee recommended 148 applications for consultative status at its regular session and deferred 356 for further consideration. 29. At the Committee’s 2025 regular session, Member States reiterated its role as the primary specialized United Nations body for considering NGO applications for consultative status and as an important entry point for NGO engagement with the Organization. Following the adoption of Economic and Social Council decision 2024/342 on improving the work of the Committee, new working methods implemented during the 2025 regular session allowed both Committee members and NGOs additional time to review questions and responses. 30. Greater participation of civil society in the work of the United Nations remains critical for its effective functioning. The Secretary-General reiterates his previous calls upon the Committee to ensure that the criteria applied for assessing organizations are fair and transparent. As previously highlighted, continued deferral of applications for consultative status has, in some cases, amounted to de facto rejection for organizations working on human rights.29 V. Information received on cases of intimidation and reprisal for cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights A. General comment 31. The present report includes cases based on information gathered between 1 May 2024 and 30 April 2025, in accordance with Human Rights Council resolutions 12/2 and 24/24, and contains information on acts of intimidation or reprisal against individuals and groups, as established by the Council in its resolution 12/2. 32. The information received has been verified and corroborated by primary and other sources, to the extent possible. Reference is made to United Nations publications or documents if the cases mentioned have been made public. Responses provided by Governments are summarized, including positive actions taken.30 33. The present report and its annexes do not contain an exhaustive list of cases. The principle of do no harm and the consent of alleged victims to being named were strictly adhered to. As a result, cases were anonymized or omitted when the security risk to the individuals or their family members was deemed to be high. Furthermore, a number of cases brought to the attention of the Secretary-General were addressed confidentially. 34. As with previous reports on the subject, owing to the word limit, annex I contains additional information about new cases or situations presented during the reporting period that are summarized in the main report, with replies received from Governments to the relevant notes verbales. Annex II contains information on developments during the reporting period on ongoing cases or situations included in previous reports that are listed in the main report, with replies received from Governments. References are made in the present report to 28 See Security Council resolutions 2729 (2024) (South Sudan); 2759 (2024) (Central African Republic); 2763 (2024) (Afghanistan); 2765 (2024) (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and 2767 (2024) (Somalia). 29 A/HRC/48/28, para. 35; A/HRC/51/57, para 28; A/HRC/54/61, para 35; and A/HRC/57/60, para. 35. 30 Only government replies received within the deadline have been included. 7