26/51 Report of the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights

GE.14-02353 (E)

*1402353*

Human Rights Council Twenty-sixth session Agenda item 10 Technical assistance and capacity-building

Report of the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights*

Summary The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 18/18,

in which the Council invited the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights to present a comprehensive report on the Board’s work on an annual basis, starting from the twentieth session of the Council. It provides an update on the work of the Board of Trustees of the Fund since the previous report of the Chairperson of the Board (A/HRC/23/16).

* The annexes to the present report are circulated in the language of submission only.

Contents Paragraphs Page

I. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1–6 3

A. Background .................................................................................................... 1–2 3

B. Mandate .......................................................................................................... 3–6 3

II. Activities and results of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights and the Board of Trustees ............................................ 7–24 4

A. Thirty-eighth session ...................................................................................... 7–15 4

B. Thirty-ninth session ........................................................................................ 16–24 6

III. Technical cooperation............................................................................................. . 25–47 7

A. Main findings, challenges identified and recommendations........................... 25–28 7

B. Technical cooperation, and building and strengthening national frameworks and institutions............................................................................ 29–36 8

C. Synergy and partnerships with other United Nations entities......................... 37–40 10

D. Measuring results in technical cooperation and the response of the Office of the High Commissioner............................................................. 41–43 10

E. Field reference manual and other guidance tools on technical cooperation ... 44–47 11

IV. Status of funding and donors .................................................................................. 48–51 12

Annexes

I. Voluntary Fund cost plan and expenditures: 2012.................................................. 13

II. Voluntary Fund cost plan and expenditures: 2013.................................................. 14

III. Financial status of the Voluntary Fund: 2013 ......................................................... 15

IV. List of donors and contributors ............................................................................... 16

I. Introduction

A. Background

1. The United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, established by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 1987/83, receives voluntary contributions from Governments, organizations and individuals. The objective of the Fund is to provide financial support for international cooperation aimed at building up and strengthening national and regional institutions and infrastructures that will have long-term impact on improved implementation of international human rights standards.

2. The Board of Trustees has been operational since 1993 and its members are appointed by the Secretary-General for a three-year renewable term. The mandate of the Board is to assist the Secretary-General in streamlining and rationalizing the working methods and procedures of the technical cooperation programme. It meets twice a year and reports on its work to the Secretary-General and the Human Rights Council. Current members are Sozar Subari (Georgia), Fatima Mbaye (Mauritania), Mariclaire Acosta Urquidi (Mexico), Christopher Sidoti (Australia) and Lin Lim (Malaysia). Ms. Lim was appointed to the Board in January 2014, replacing Deepika Udagama (Sri Lanka), who ended her term on 31 December 2013. The Board elected Mr. Sidoti as chairperson from 30 April 2013 until 30 June 2014, when he will be replaced by Mariclaire Acosta Urquidi, who was elected chairperson by the Board at its thirty-ninth session, in Mexico City.

B. Mandate

3. Throughout the period under review, the Board of Trustees continued to advise the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on policy orientation and strategic vision on technical cooperation at a programme level. This refocused approach, which is framed within the broad definition of technical cooperation, was agreed upon by the Board of Trustees and presented to Member States in the annual report of the Secretary-General submitted to the Human Rights Council in 2011.1

4. The OHCHR planning process for the period 2014-2017 provided several opportunities for the Board Members to offer this advice to OHCHR by contributing to the definition of OHCHR thematic strategies. The Board members participated in the OHCHR regional consultations in Asia, the Americas, Europe and Central Asia, and Africa. They held discussions and provided advice on ways to strengthen the technical cooperation and advisory services programmes while pursuing the implementation of the Office’s four-year programme.

5. In view of the relevance and complementarities of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights and the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review, the Secretary-General requested the Board of Trustees to oversee the both Funds. This decision was based on the importance of ensuring consistency in the operations of the Funds, given that both support States in fulfilling their international obligations by means of technical assistance and cooperation. During its thirty-eight session, in November 2013, the Board commenced its new functions with regard to the Voluntary Fund for Financial and

1 A/HRC/16/66.

Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review. OHCHR is tasked with submitting to the Human Rights Council an annual written update on the operations of the Fund (A/HRC/26/54).

6. The present report covers the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth sessions of the Board in its capacity relating to the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights. At those sessions, the Board continued to explore various components of the Human Rights Programme on Technical Cooperation funded by the that Fund, with a view to providing policy guidance and advice on the technical cooperation activities carried out by OHCHR.

II. Activities and results of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights and the Board of Trustees

A. Thirty-eighth session

7. The Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights held its thirty-eighth session in Geneva, from 11 to 14 November 2013. The session was chaired by Christopher Sidoti, who had been elected Chairperson of the Board of Trustees at its thirty-seventh session. All members of the Board attended the session.

8. The main objectives of the session were to take stock of and to contribute to the final stages of the preparation of the OHCHR Management Plan for the period 2014-2017, and to discuss with OHCHR geographic and thematic sections the relevant aspects of the technical cooperation programme pertinent to each of the thematic strategies; to familiarize the Board with the mechanisms in place through the OHCHR Performance Monitoring System to monitor and report on technical cooperation results under each of the thematic strategies, focus areas and type of field presences receiving support from the Fund during the programing cycle; to discuss efforts at the field level to continue to strengthen gender integration and women’s rights focus in technical cooperation programmes; and to review the financial information and projected allocations for 2014 by the Fund. During the session, the Board received also an update on the main developments at the Human Rights Council in the area of technical cooperation.

9. The Board was briefed and discussed with the Universal Periodic Review Section the mechanisms in place and the ongoing projects under the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review. This was the first time since it assumed its new function with regard to this Fund that the Board had an opportunity to share views and receive direct briefings on regional and country experiences on the use of the Fund. The Board learned about the OHCHR approach to universal periodic review follow-up, as well as on the support provided to a number of States in all regions under the Fund in 2013. The Board stressed the importance of ensuring the sustainability of the impact of funded projects and the need to identify adequate avenues for the active engagement of civil society, in particular non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions, in review follow-up efforts by States. The details of its activities overseeing the management of the Fund can be found in the annual OHCHR reports on the Fund.

10. Technical cooperation in the context of the strategic planning process for the period 2014-2017 was also the subject of discussion during the session. The Board members met with the OHCHR Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Service, as well as with

each of the OHCHR thematic teams in charge of sharpening the focus of the Office on a set of critical human rights challenges for the new four-year programming cycle. Together, the Board and its interlocutors analysed the technical cooperation components of each of the Office’s six thematic priorities. The Members of the Board, who had participated in various stages of the preparatory process, including through the series of regional consultations, expressed appreciation for the continued efforts of OHCHR to promote technical cooperation at the outset of its strategic planning and as an integral part of all its programmes.

11. The Board noted and endorsed in particular the significant progress made through this exercise in recognizing that strengthening democratic society is a long-lasting investment for development. It welcomed the new thematic strategy of “widening the democratic space” and its sharp focus on strengthening and building national human rights capacities as a critical means to the prevention of human rights violation and conflicts, which ultimately has been proved critical to sustainable economic development. It also endorsed the attention to national human rights institutions in both this new thematic priority and specifically addressed throughout all the priorities. It considered that this would certainly require vigorous impetus and support to the implementation of the programmes on the ground. The Board noted with appreciation the specific focus on some critical human rights issues and concerns where OHCHR had managed to develop substantive expertise over the past biennium, such as the particular situation of individuals and groups facing discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and the persons defending them. The Board was encouraged to observe that its contributions throughout the strategic planning process had been taken into account and served to support the finalization of the new management plan.

12. The Board was updated on the implementation of the programmes funded by the Voluntary Fund in the framework of the OHCHR management plan, and in particular on results at the end of the 2012-2013 biennium across all regions, as well as the partnerships on the ground with Governments, civil society and United Nations partners, including United Nations country teams.

13. The Board was briefed in particular by field presences on the actions taken at the field level to integrate women’s rights and gender equality in technical cooperation programmes and activities. Teleconference discussions with the Regional Gender Advisers in the OHCHR Regional Office for Central America in Panama, the OHCHR Regional Office for the Middle East in Beirut and the OHCHR Regional Office for West Africa in Dakar showed how the gender dimensions of technical cooperation programmes at the field level could be adequately addressed and benefit from closer geographic and available regional expertise. The Board found particularly notable the regional expertise in the Americas in the area of gender-based killings (femicide), in particular the development of protocols for their investigation and the innovative ways of providing support to other field presences and States in the region to develop similar protocols, particularly those receiving support from the Voluntary Fund. The Board found equally encouraging the strategies in place by the Gender Adviser in Beirut in providing countries in the region and the United Nations country team with expertise in the area of women’s participation and legal grounds for gender equality. Lastly, the Board welcomed the initiatives taken by the Regional Adviser in Dakar to advise Governments on nationality laws and issues with regard to women’s political participation.

14. One of the challenges that the Board has traditionally observed while analysing technical cooperation programmes is ensuring synergies and cross-sharing experiences between the programmes and projects in the area of technical cooperation, receiving support from the various United Nation trust funds. During the session, the Board discussed and identified areas for collaboration with the work of other trust funds managed by the

Office, in particular the Special Fund established by the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture aimed at supporting financially implementation of recommendations by the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture.

15. The Board also met with the Deputy High Commissioner and briefed her on its latest visits to field presences and the role that the Board envisages vis-a-vis its new capacity as Board of Trustees for the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review.

B. Thirty-ninth session

16. The thirty-seventh session of the Board of Trustees was held in Mexico from 17 to 21 February 2014, pursuant to the Board’s practice of holding one of its two meetings each year in countries where OHCHR has a field presence funded by the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights. This was the third time that a session of the Board was organized outside Geneva.

17. In 2014, the Board has been keen to visit, for the first time, an OHCHR presence in Latin America, to witness first-hand the commonalities and differences in approach and to learn from the experience of the Office in the Americas. The Office in Mexico is fully funded by the Voluntary Fund. The main purpose of the visit, as in the case of previous sessions and visits to the field, was to continue to gather in situ observations of value-added areas and areas requiring strengthening for the Office as a whole in the design and implementation of its technical cooperation programmes.

18. The Board discussed technical cooperation activities by the OHCHR presence in Mexico during meetings with different national and State-level authorities, United Nations partners, the national human rights commission and civil society organizations in the country. This included visits to selected projects at the State level in Coahuila (Saltillo) and in Nuevo Leon (Monterrey) , where the Board received briefings on the specific situation of human rights to be addressed by the technical advice and services provided by OHCHR, in particular with State authorities, the judiciary and civil society organizations.

19. During the visit, the Board discussed the support provided in various areas, including technical and advisory services on the follow-up to recommendations from all human rights mechanisms and on the establishment of the Mechanism of Protection for Journalists and Human Rights Defenders with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior. Particular focus was attached to the development of a human rights plan of action at the national level that could serve as an overarching tool to continue to guide efforts to develop the plans and strengthen existing ones when needed at the State level. The Board was able to understand the process of development of the plan of action for Nuevo Leon during its visit to Coahuila. With regard to institution-building efforts in the context of the Mechanism of Protection for Journalists and Human Rights Defenders, the Board was of the view that efforts should be constantly reassessed to ensure that the existence of the Mechanism was part of broader efforts to eradicate violence and human rights abuses and violations against human rights defenders and journalists and to address these issues effectively with a methodology that provides the expertise, practicality and continuity required for this aim.

20. The Board had an opportunity to discuss with Congress representatives the support from the Office on legislative developments regarding the landmark constitutional reform of 2011, which granted constitutional status to international human rights treaties, military jurisdiction, enforced disappearances, freedom of expression, and the withdrawing of reservations to main human rights instruments, among others. The Board also learned during the meeting with the President of the Supreme Court about the support given by the

Office in the development of indicators and the “Reforma DH” programme supporting better understanding among judges, lawyers and prosecutors of the implications of the constitutional reform of 2011. Concerns were also discussed regarding the arraigo figure being evoked as the basis in allegations of human rights violations and the importance of continuing to explore with the Office ways to overcome these challenges in full compliance with international standards.

21. In Mexico City, and in Saltillo and Monterrey as well, the Board discussed with civil society representatives efforts and technical support being received from the Office to strengthen capacities to address human rights concerns regarding the situation of human rights defenders, disappearances, violence against women and the rights of indigenous peoples, as well as the situation of migrants. With regard to assistance and support to victims, the Board stressed that the challenge was still to ensure that technical assistance supported current efforts to assist victims effectively while seeking justice and reparation.

22. The Board was also briefed on the various thematic priorities of the Office in Mexico during the programming cycle for the period 2014-2017. The Board found that OHCHR priorities were in line with what national stakeholders expected, and that the Office continued to be seen, more than 10 years since its establishment, as a critical and reliable partner for all partners interviewed. The Board considers that, while the relevance of the current programme is on track vis-à-vis the human rights context in the country, the Office would benefit from strengthening its efforts together with relevant State institutions at both the federal and State levels to continue to translate into concrete capacity-building actions the specific needs regarding the effective application of the principle of free, prior and informed consent in relation to land, natural resources and territories for indigenous peoples, and the situation of migrants and of victims of human rights violations in their access to justice and reparation, in particular for victims of enforced disappearance. 23. The Board is of the view that field visits continue to be strategically critical for its work and mandate. To date, the Board has managed to visit in-situ programmes by two types of field presences, namely, country or stand-alone offices and human rights advisers. It proposes to explore a visit to a human rights component of a peace mission as a priority for a field visit in 2015. As demonstrated recently in Mexico, in-country discussions are particularly helpful in identifying in concrete terms the priority areas for further technical cooperation work, challenges and best practices by the Office and for the Board to be able to fulfil its policy advisory role.

24. The Board took the opportunity of its last day in Mexico to hold an internal meeting to continue discussions on its future programme. During the meeting, the Board formally welcomed the new elected member, Lin Lim, to replace Deepika Udagama. Mariclaire Acosta Urquidi was elected the new chairperson of the Board, to succeed Mr. Sidoti from 1 July 2014.

III. Technical cooperation

A. Main findings, challenges identified and recommendations

25. Through the sessions in Geneva, the visits to the OHCHR field presences and the active engagement of the Board members in the strategic planning exercise for the programming cycle 2014-2017, the Board has gathered a broad overview of the technical cooperation programme of the Office and has continued to ensure that the High Commissioner has access to the experience and expertise of its members, expanding the opportunities for strategic and policy advice in support of the technical cooperation provided by OHCHR field presences.

26. On the basis of its findings and experience, the Board is able to provide advice on challenges and opportunities experienced by OHCHR field presences in the area of technical cooperation, on good practices in the implementation of technical cooperation locally, and more generally on the broad lines for the design and implementation of technical cooperation work as an integral part of the programme of the Office.

27. The Board considers therefore that a number of components for effective technical cooperation by OHCHR have become evident. These elements were broadly presented to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-third session. First, effective technical cooperation is based on the universality and indivisibility of all human rights and includes both the protection and the promotion of human rights. Second, effective technical cooperation focuses on building and strengthening national frameworks and institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights. Third, effective technical cooperation reflects national development objectives to ensure the highest levels of ownership and sustainability, as well as to respond to genuine national interest, commitments and efforts in the promotion and protection of human rights. Fourth, technical cooperation is formulated and implemented with the broadest possible participation of all elements of national societies, and is also linked with regional and subregional human rights mechanisms. Fifth, technical cooperation is linked to the follow-up on implementation of the recommendations and concluding observations made by international human rights mechanisms. Sixth, technical cooperation is mainstreamed through all United Nations agencies and operations in each country and region. Seventh, effective technical cooperation requires linking it with existing thematic priorities of the Office and maintaining it as an integral part of the overall OHCHR programme.

28. The Board, through its reports and presentations to the Human Rights Council, has already elaborated on the importance of anchoring technical cooperation on the universality and indivisibility of all human rights, including its protection and promotion aspects. The Board would like to continue as a programme of work for the coming years its elaboration of the main elements of the above-mentioned seven components, as it considers that this could be beneficial to support the Office in the implementation of the technical cooperation aspects of its new four-year programme for the period 2014-2017. In the present report, the Board underscores the critical importance of building and strengthening national frameworks and institutions in the field of human rights through technical cooperation and advisory services with the support of OHCHR, as well as the importance of partnerships with United Nations entities on the ground.

B. Technical cooperation, and building and strengthening national frameworks and institutions

29. The first of the components of effective technical cooperation described above is its basis in the universality and indivisibility of all human rights, and includes both the protection and the promotion of human rights. This is the key objective of technical cooperation: better promotion and protection of human rights. The second component, building and strengthening national frameworks and institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, is the strategy and methodology for achieving the key objective.

30. The term “national frameworks and institutions” is an inclusive term that incorporates the whole range of mechanisms available to States to fulfil their international human rights obligations. It includes the rule of law, legal and political accountability, democratically elected parliaments, independent courts and independent national human rights institutions, national development institutions, just to mention a few. The strategy employed by effective technical cooperation is directed towards the strengthening of these

mechanisms. The reason for this is found in the nature of OHCHR and of its technical cooperation programme through its field services.

31. The strategy of each field presence, regardless of its nature, must therefore be to ensure that national frameworks and institutions are built in a sustainable manner that will provide the best possible promotion and protection of human rights and that these institutions are able to continue their functions once the technical support provided comes to an end, a reality in view of the limitations of resources and the increasing demands from all regions of the world.

32. Some of these institutions and frameworks are critical for good governance generally, and not only for the promotion and protection of human rights. An independent legal system operating under the rule of law, with qualified judges, due process, transparent decision-making, ascertainable laws and procedures and appropriate judicial avenues for appeal and review of decisions, is essential for the promotion and protection of human rights and also for the proper governance of the State. So too is a political system with a freely elected Government and legislature, with universal franchise and freedom for full participation. Technical cooperation appropriately addresses the strengthening of these systems.

33. Other institutions and frameworks are more specifically directed towards human rights. National human rights institutions are among the most important of these. Technical cooperation needs to be focused explicitly on the establishment and strengthening of national human rights institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles. It needs to engage them collaboratively, as closely as possible. Where a State does not have a national human rights institution in compliance with the Paris Principles, the OHCHR field presence should encourage its establishment, as the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly have constantly reiterated in their resolutions. Where a State has a national human rights institution that is not in full compliance with the Paris Principles or that is weak or less effective than it needs to be, the OHCHR field presence should work closely with the institution, the Government and Parliament to strengthen the institution’s capacity. Under no circumstances should the work of an OHCHR field presence replace or duplicate the work of a national human rights institution.

34. National human rights action plans are a framework specifically aimed at better promotion and protection of human rights. Assisting the development and implementation of an effective national human rights action plan should be a core part of technical cooperation. Many States have adopted such action plans, since they were encouraged to do so by the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action in 1993. However, many of these plans have been inadequate, while many have not been implemented fully or in some cases not at all. OHCHR has become well experienced in working with States to develop good national human rights action plans and subsequently to implement them. Field presences can assist this process by providing international expertise where required and building local capacity.

35. National human rights institutions and national human rights action plans are a good means by which the benefits of the work of an OHCHR field presence can become long lasting. They are products of technical cooperation that address the promotion and protection of human rights on a long-term basis, that reflect the national context and the needs and priorities of the individual State, and that can be domestically sustainable and implementable.

36. Whatever specific approaches are taken, however, the priority strategy for effective technical cooperation must be building and strengthening national institutions and frameworks. Only in this way can the international community that has directly or indirectly provided the technical cooperation ensure that it has a long-term benefit. Only in

this way can the individual State that has sought international assistance acquire the capacity to ensure itself its full compliance with its international human rights obligations. The Board is of the view that newly established thematic priority on widening the democratic space provides a solid framework to support States in these endeavours, and hopes that it would attract necessary resources to be adequately implemented.

C. Synergy and partnerships with other United Nations entities

37. Synergies and partnerships among United Nations agencies and programmes in the area of technical cooperation in the field of human rights is one of the focus areas of attention of the Board during its sessions, in particular during its visits to OHCHR presences in countries.

38. Through discussions with United Nations Resident Coordinators and United Nations agencies and programmes, the Board has had the opportunity to study the extent to which the programme, priority focus and activities of a particular office are also in line with or respond to the main human rights issues and the demands from a variety of country partners, and how they relate and are linked to the United Nations development framework, other programming tools and joint United Nations development efforts on the ground.

39. In Mexico, as in the case of previous visits, the Board met with the United Nations Resident Coordinator and representatives from the United Nations Children’s Fund and the International Organization for Migration. During the discussions, the role of the Office in ensuring human rights mainstreaming across the work of the United Nations country teams was particularly stressed, as was the capacity of the Office to provide timely and substantive advice on relevant human rights normative issues. The Office was found to be a reliable and critical partner in joint capacity-building and advisory services, provided by the United Nations at the request of the Government.

40. The Board has observed that, in countries where the presence of the Office is particularly well established through acceptable human resources and expertise as well as the capacity to adequately and independently monitor the human rights complexities on the ground, the technical cooperation programmes developed at the request and in close cooperation with relevant state entities and other United Nations partners are often robust and provide visible and measurable results.

D. Measuring results in technical cooperation and the response of the Office of the High Commissioner

41. Measuring impact at the country level and monitoring programme implementation are becoming less challenging for OHCHR, as all its presences and all Headquarters structures move on to using the online performance monitoring system, which was designed to plan, monitor and report on results for all of OHCHR programming. At November 2013, all OHCHR field presences (including all those presences receiving support from the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation) had submitted all their planning documents (annual and for the programming cycle for the period 2014-2017), as well as their end-of- cycle reports (2012-2013) through the system. Board members were highly encouraged by the impressive results that the increased and systematic use of the system was already achieving, even at the early stages.

42. During the sessions in Geneva and in the field visits, the Board observed how the system, which interlinks planning, monitoring, the production of reports and sharing experiences, represents a paramount tool facilitating enormously and in a very professional manner the definition and selection of the Office’s results, as well as their measurement.

During the field visits conducted over the past two years, the Board has been able to test the usefulness of the system in facilitating monitoring of the implementation and performance of technical cooperation projects, adjusting them when needed in real time to changing situations, as well as the results of the latest improvements in the system.

43. The Board commends OHCHR for its efforts during the period under review to continue investing in the system. The upgrades implemented since the previous briefing to the Board, including the financial module, as well as the efforts to ensure full use of the system by Headquarters structures also, were assessed very favourably by the Board. The system is proving a critical contribution for OHCHR to be a fully results-based organization, transparent and accountable to all stakeholders. The Board encourages the United Nations Secretariat to consider the OHCHR tool as a good practice to be taken into consideration when developing results-based management systems.

E. Field reference manual and other guidance tools on technical cooperation

44. As one of the vehicles of OHCHR to fulfil the mandate of the High Commissioner, technical cooperation is an effective means for overcoming in-country knowledge and capacity gaps, and for supporting efforts made by the country to address those gaps. By strengthening its capacity to share experiences and to pay attention to systematically documenting good practices and lessons learned, the Office is increasing its ability to raise its profile in supporting States through technical cooperation, as well as being able to facilitate experience-sharing between States, an increasing demand received by the Board during its recent visits to the field. The Board was briefed during its sessions, both in Geneva and in Mexico, on recent efforts to strengthen knowledge management tools in the area of technical cooperation.

45. OHCHR continued to advance towards the finalization of an OHCHR field reference manual on technical cooperation, aimed at providing guidance to its field presences and staff on the approach of OHCHR to technical cooperation and to ensure access, in a single document, to OHCHR policies, practices and procedures relating to technical cooperation. OHCHR is currently revising its contents and making the necessary adjustments in view of the new programming cycle 2014-2017, the upgrades in the performance monitoring system and other relevant internal tools.

46. The Board particularly welcomed the efforts of the Office to strengthen the tools for access to information, policies and guidance and sharing of experiences by human rights advisers to United Nations Resident Coordinators and United Nations country teams. Human rights advisers have proven to be an effective means to ensure the integration of human rights into the programmes and activities of the United Nations teams on the ground and to strengthen their human rights capacities. Through this in-country support, the United Nations certainly increases its capacity to ensure optimization of the use of resources on the ground for increased coordinated work in the area of human rights, including on technical cooperation and advisory services efforts with the States interested and concerned. OHCHR, in close cooperation with the Development Operations Coordination Office, has developed an internal Internet-based tool that is easily accessible to all human rights advisers, and includes a sharing point that allows them to learn and share experiences, ideas and approaches being used across regions. The Board had the opportunity to observe how human rights advisers receiving financial support from the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in 2013 were making active use of this tool.

47. The Board encourages OHCHR to continue to develop this type of initiative for all types of field presences receiving support from the Voluntary Fund for Technical

Cooperation, as well as to complete and to keep the manual on technical cooperation regularly updated.

IV. Status of funding and donors 48. The Board was updated at its meetings in November 2013 and February 2014 on the overall financial status of OHCHR and its donors, the 2013 financial situation of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights and its functioning in the overall funding system, including interlinkages with other extrabudgetary resources, as well as the funding projections and proposed work plan for the Fund for 2014. Expenditures under the Fund had again been increasing throughout 2013 without being matched by financial contributions, a situation that the Board had already brought to the attention of the Human Rights Council in recent reports.

49. In 2013, the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation continued to provide resources ($20.3 million) for technical cooperation to build strong human rights frameworks at the national level in 34 regions, countries and territories. This included support for 16 human rights advisers (in Chad, Ecuador, Honduras, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, the Niger, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, South Caucasus (Georgia) and Ukraine), 11 human rights components of peace missions (in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Darfur (Sudan), Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia and South Sudan) and six country/stand-alone offices (in Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Kosovo,2 Mauritania, Mexico, State of Palestine and Togo). In 2013, the Fund received $7 million in earmarked contributions. OHCHR therefore allocated $11.9 million from unearmarked resources to cover the expenditures made under the Fund. Details of contributions and programmes are provided in the annual report of OHCHR for 2013.

50. The activities conducted under the Fund have resulted in efforts made at the country level to incorporate international human rights standards into national laws, policies and practices; the establishment of more sustainable national capacities to adhere to these standards; strengthened administration of justice; greater emphasis on the development of human rights education programmes and increased capacities with regard to gender equality and women’s rights; the establishment of responsive national human rights institutions; the strengthening of the human rights capacity of United Nations Resident Coordinators and United Nations country teams through the deployment of human rights advisers; and the development of national plans of action for the promotion and protection of human rights and on the use of human rights indicators. Detailed information on income and expenditure under the Voluntary Fund is annexed to the present report.

51. In its sessions and meetings with OHCHR and Member States, the Board underlined the importance of ensuring continuous contributions to the Fund, and reiterates its view that an increase in unearmarked funds will allow OHCHR to be more flexible in implementing identified priorities.

2 All references to Kosovo are to be construed in the context of Security Council resolution 1244

(1999) and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Annex I [English only]

Voluntary Fund cost plan and expenditures: 2012

IMIS V. F. for Technical Cooperation (AHA) Expenditure

Project Staff costs Activities Total Total

Number Field Operations & Technical Cooperation Division USD $

(a) Human Rights Advisers in UNCT (19): - Activities implemented by OHCHR HRAs to the UNCT in:

B-414 - Russian Federation 604,093 580,831 1,184,924 1,138,682 B-409 - South Caucasus, Georgia 606,492 395,785 1,002,277 986,866 B-504 - Moldova 227,736 93,691 321,427 319,295 B-541 - Ukraine 198,570 36,160 234,730 234,773 B-540 - Yemen 175,436 66,130 241,566 223,351 B-433 - Zimbabwe 124,094 89,438 213,532 190,223 B-441 - Rwanda 292,609 119,587 412,196 397,313 B-538 - Great Lakes (Burundi) 25,928 190,328 216,256 208,003 B-488 - Kenya 411,557 579,261 990,818 972,490 B-503 - Niger 351,613 101,419 453,032 507,786 B-584 - Chad 361,356 125,508 486,864 473,551 B-539 - Madagascar 237,407 127,031 364,438 364,493 B-436 - Ecuador 376,020 218,509 594,529 581,999 B-531 - Paraguay 450,030 240,922 690,952 681,157 B-532 - Honduras - 31,075 31,075 28,632 B-502 - Papua New Guinea 325,616 171,534 497,150 478,780 B-439 - Sri Lanka 242,642 213,686 456,328 425,791 B-630 - Maldives 107,633 78,247 185,880 120,311 B-617 - Malawi 110,919 58,299 169,218 -

sub-total HR Advisers: 5,229,751 3,517,441 8,747,192 8,333,496

(b) Human Rights Components of UN Peace Missions (11) - Activities implemented by UN Peace Missions Human Rights Units in:

B-443 - Haiti - 220,544 220,544 229,645 B-421 - Afghanistan 641,913 300,314 942,227 863,495 B-642 - Afghanistan / Afghan people dialogue on Peace (Belgium) - 16,950 16,950 16,950 B-440 - Timor Leste - 630,635 630,635 583,297 B-442 - Côte d'Ivoire - 221,013 221,013 221,013 B-444 - Liberia - 73,473 73,473 73,473 B-431 - Sierra Leone 247,667 215,717 463,384 463,384 B-451 - Somalia 498,720 200,540 699,260 567,935 B-613 - Somalia (activities funded by Austria/ADA) 124,106 371,598 495,704 449,800 B-478 - Darfur, Sudan (activities funded by Switzerland/) 57,569 203,246 260,815 122,271 B-445 - Sudan - 427,592 427,592 409,921 B-582 - Guinea Bissau - 114,130 114,130 114,130 B-583 - Central African Republic - 31,778 31,778 9,178 B-611 - Libya - 225,316 225,316 159,672

sub-total Peace Missions: 1,569,975 3,252,846 4,822,821 4,284,163

(c) Country/Standalone Offices (6) B-505 - Mauritania 729,701 655,906 1,385,607 1,375,078 B-418 - Togo 776,583 716,962 1,493,545 1,492,158 B-404 - Occupied Palestinian Territory (standalone office) 2,609,501 819,040 3,428,541 3,343,422 B-419 - Bolivia 1,069,681 526,092 1,595,773 1,577,769 B-401 - Mexico 1,958,715 820,568 2,779,283 2,771,838 B-420 - Kosovo (standalone office) 800,344 201,097 1,001,441 977,464

sub-total Country /Standalone Offices: 7,944,525 3,739,665 11,684,190 11,537,729 Other adjustments 16,313

Sub-Total 14,744,251 10,509,952 25,254,203 24,171,701

Total (including 13% PSC) 96%

Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation - Status of cost plan and expenditure for 2012 OHCHR EXTRABUDGETARY RESOURCES (31 December 2012)

Cost plan 2012 (USD)

25,254,203

Annex II

[English only]

Voluntary Fund cost plan and expenditures: 2013

IMIS V. F. for Technical Cooperation (AHA) Expenditure

Project Number Staff costs Activities Total Total

Number Field Operations & Technical Cooperation Division of staff USD $

(a) Human Rights Advisers in UNCT (17): - Activities implemented by OHCHR HRAs to the UNCT in:

B-414 - Russian Federation 6 572,379 713,742 1,286,121 1,056,853 B-409 - South Caucasus, Georgia 7 592,277 305,899 898,176 711,233 B-504 - Moldova 2 244,000 109,418 353,418 347,564 B-541 - Ukraine 1 199,410 37,167 236,577 225,636 B-441 - Rwanda 1 534,634 112,023 646,657 538,437 B-488 - Kenya 5 444,927 395,585 840,512 817,483 B-503 - Niger 2 362,940 68,199 431,139 390,006 B-584 - Chad 3 359,921 128,874 488,795 308,655 B-539 - Madagascar 3 240,586 124,849 365,435 320,084 B-436 - Ecuador 3 375,340 205,262 580,602 531,583 B-531 - Paraguay 4 526,927 231,808 758,735 724,483 B-532 - Honduras (co-sharing with UNDP) 3 - 222,244 222,244 219,158 B-502 - Papua New Guinea 3 405,510 156,550 562,060 227,132 B-439 - Sri Lanka 3 249,179 197,480 446,659 389,120 B-630 - Maldives 1 33,258 86,835 120,093 45,082 B-652 - Timor Leste 3 83,939 231,479 315,418 188,699 B-617 - Malawi 1 105,373 75,484 180,857 -

sub-total HR Advisers: 51 5,330,600 3,402,898 8,733,498 7,041,208

(b) Human Rights Components of UN Peace Missions (10) - Activities implemented by UN Peace Missions Human Rights Units in:

B-443 - Haiti - 140,678 140,678 113,594 B-421 - Afghanistan 2 167,083 285,719 452,802 430,288 B-642 - Afghanistan / Afghan people dialogue on Peace (Belgium) - 170,147 170,147 170,000 B-442 - Côte d'Ivoire - 166,110 166,110 125,897 B-444 - Liberia - 101,361 101,361 100,965 B-431 - Sierra Leone 11 393,446 303,551 696,997 692,264 B-451 - Somalia 4 379,497 133,538 513,035 494,531 B-613 - Somalia (activities funded by Austria/ADA) 2 127,191 29,154 156,345 99,178 B-478 - Darfur, Sudan (activities funded by Switzerland) - 28,250 28,250 11,009 B-445 - South Sudan - 484,092 484,092 457,004 B-582 - Guinea Bissau - 70,625 70,625 58,472 B-583 - Central African Republic - 31,778 31,778 22,600 B-611 - Libya - 191,377 191,377 31,022

sub-total Peace Missions: 19 1,067,217 2,136,380 3,203,597 2,806,825

(c) Country/Standalone Offices (6) B-505 - Mauritania 9 780,631 535,413 1,316,044 1,225,894 B-418 - Togo 10 916,294 581,376 1,497,670 1,452,893 B-404 - State of Palestine 22 2,287,903 729,623 3,017,526 2,933,957 B-633 - East Jerusalem, public information and legal analysis (funded by Switzerland) 4 542,400 94,242 636,642 231,057 B-419 - Bolivia 11 1,022,563 260,751 1,283,314 1,213,672 B-627 - Bolivia - Addressing socio-policital conflict project (EU funding) 0 - 504,270 504,270 413,030 B-401 - Mexico 24 2,006,742 413,778 2,420,520 2,345,679 B-420 - Kosovo (standalone office) 9 758,169 113,974 872,143 733,423

sub-total Country /Standalone Offices: 89 8,314,702 3,233,427 11,548,129 10,549,605

Adjustments related to 2012 projects expenditure/liquidation of obligations (101,018)

Sub-Total 159 14,712,519 8,772,705 23,485,224 20,296,620

Total (including 13% PSC) 87%

Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation - Status of cost plan and expenditure for 2013 OHCHR EXTRABUDGETARY RESOURCES (31 December 2013)

Cost plan 2013 (USD)

23,485,224

Annex III [English only]

Financial status of the Voluntary Fund: 2013

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations Voluntary Fund

for Technical Cooperation (AHA)

Statement of Income and Expenditure

USD $ I. Income Voluntary contributions in 2013 18,888,242.00 Miscellaneous and interest income 180,052.52

T ota l income 19,068,294.52

II. Expenditure */ USD $

Staff costs 11,588,468.39 Consultants' fees and travel 835,542.79 Travel of representatives 14,287.86 Travel of Staff 643,865.59 Contractual Services 521,983.12 General operating expenses 1,229,863.42 Supplies & Materials 387,934.39 Grants, contributions and seminars 2,760,161.44 Programme Support Costs 2,314,513.42

T ota l expenditure 20,296,620.42

Net excess/(shortfa ll) of income over expenditures for the period (1,228,325.90) Opening Ba la nce 1.01.2013 14,683,315.60

Misce llaneous adjustments/savings/re funds to donors (17,962.00) T ota l fund ba lance as a t 31.12.2013 13,437,027.70

*/ Includes disbursements and obligations

Estima ted amount ava ilable for 2014 10,497,677.00 PSC (13%) 1,364,698.00 Operating reserve (15%) 1,574,652.00 Total funds available (with PSC & Op. reserve) 13,437,027.00

for the period 1 January - 31 December 2013

Annex IV

[English only]

List of donors and contributors