A/HRC/54/61 associated personnel and expert mechanisms.29 During the reporting period, the targeting of independent experts with United Nations mandates continued and had a deterrent effect on individuals and groups seeking to cooperate with them, or with whom they engaged. 33. Efforts have continued to strengthen the capacity of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations of the Economic and Social Council, in view of the increase in the number of NGOs with consultative status with the Council, as well as those applying for it. The Committee received 560 new applications for consultative status at its regular session in 2023 and 500 applications at its resumed session. The Committee recommended 214 applications for consultative status at its regular session and deferred 296 for further consideration. It recommended 167 applications at its resumed session and deferred its consideration of 294 applications. 34. At the 2023 resumed session of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, several Member States highlighted the role of the Committee as the primary specialized United Nations body for considering NGO applications for consultative status and as an important entry point for NGOs to engage with and contribute to the work of the Organization. They welcomed the informal consultations that the Committee planned to hold to discuss further improvements to working methods and modalities. 35. Greater participation of civil society organizations in the work of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, including through remote interactive engagement where possible, 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. Continued deferral of applications for consultative status has, in some cases, amounted to de facto rejection, especially for organizations working on human rights.30 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 36. The present report includes cases based on information gathered between 1 May 2022 and 30 April 2023, 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. 37. 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 have been made public. Responses provided by Governments are summarized, including positive actions taken.31 38. 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 too high. Furthermore, a number of cases brought to the attention of the Secretary-General were addressed confidentially. 39. 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 29 30 31 GE.23-15378 See Security Council resolutions 2648 (2022) (Central African Republic); 2657 (2022) (Somalia); 2666 (2022) (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 2669 (2022) (Myanmar); 2677 (2023) (the Sudan and South Sudan); and 2681 (2023) (Afghanistan). A/HRC/38/18, para. 20; A/HRC/39/41, para. 23; A/HRC/42/30, para. 31; A/HRC/45/36, para. 37; and A/HRC/48/28, para. 35. Government replies received within the deadline have been included. 7