The Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council are independent human rights experts with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective. The system of Special Procedures is a central element of the United Nations human rights machinery and covers all rights: civil, cultural, economic, political, and social. As of November 2022, there are 59 Special Procedures (45 thematic mandates and 14 mandates relating to countries or territories) with currently 83 mandate-holders of which only 82 are active. The mandate of the independent expert on human rights situation on Syria will start upon closing of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.