This means that they may not always be able to adduce patterns at regional or global levels where, for example, multinational companies are playing a negative role in relation to acquisition of land, harm to the environment or poor employment practices that have particularly harsh impacts on women in the affected countries. The general recommendations/comments are one way in which the committees can addressthis gap and there have been some important statements on States’ international obligations of cooperation and assistance, although these are not specifically ‘gendered’ (for example, CESCR 2007, paras. The special mandate holders tend to be better placed to analyse the systemic impact of macroeconomic policy. As mentioned, the independent expert on the effects of foreign debt has made a number of important statements linking gender inequality to debt and policy conditionality as well as austerity.