The consultations were held between June and September and consisted of four sessions that focused on the different clusters of recommendations. The Commission attended all four sessions and provided its feedback on the issues discussed, but noted that there was no consultation held to address the UPR recommendations relating to accession to human rights treaties. Altogether, the sessions were useful as they enabled participants, especially from the civil society, not only to keep abreast of the progress made with regard to the UPR recommendations but also to allow them to interact directly with the relevant agencies to seek further clarifications on various human rights issues. However, there were several instances when certain government representatives were not able to provide substantive responses to the issues raised, perhaps on account of their unfamiliarity with the subject at hand. The Commission commends the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for organising the consultations as such engagements with stakeholders and CSOs are consistent with the spirit of the UPR, which encourages active participation and involvement of all stakeholders in the process. The Commission, however, is of the view that these engagements should have been carried out at all stages of the UPR process including during the implementation of the recommendations, and not just during the later phase of the UPR cycle. In April, the Commission co-organised, in partnership with the Migration Working Group and the Bar Council, a roundtable discussion in Kuala Lumpur involving relevant governments agencies and CSOs to deliberate on Malaysia’s UPR commitments on the rights of migrant workers. The Commission also jointly organised a consultation on the UPR recommendations relating to statelessness with EMPOWER in November in Sandakan, Sabah. 6. 6th UN FORUM ON BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS The UN Forum on Business and Human Rights is an annual event that serves as a global platform for various stakeholders to discuss issues relating to business and human rights, particularly trends and challenges in the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). 56 S UH A KA M A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 1 7