Revised Guidelines for the Consideration of Communications 8) Record of hearings i. The proceedings hearings shall be recorded and such recordings shall be conserved in the archives of the Committee. The Secretary shall also be responsible for the production of verbatim records of hearings before the Committee. ii. Such records are internal working documents of the Committee. If a party to the Communication so requests, the Committee may provide a copy of such records unless, in the view of the Committee, doing so could create a danger to persons heard. SECTION XII: FAILURE OF RESPONDENT STATE PARTY TO MAKE ITS SUBMISSIONS 1) In the absence of any submissions from the respondent State Party within the respective periods set under these Guidelines, the Committee shall proceed to the examination of the question of admissibility or the merits based on the submissions of the complainant. 2) The Committee may on its own motion conduct further investigation or request the Complainant to submit further information as may be appropriate in order to make pertinent decision. SECTION XIII: AMICABLE SETTLEMENTS 1) General Principles i. Parties to a communication may settle their dispute amicably any time before the Committee decides on the merits of the Communication. ii. In all cases of an amicable settlement, the terms of settlement reached must be based on respect for the rights and welfare of the child recognised by the African Children’s Charter and other applicable instruments. iii. Any amicable settlement reached outside the auspices of the Committee, shall be reported to the Committee which shall conclude the consideration of the Communication by before the Committee. 16