35/18 Operations of the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review - Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

GE.17-06024(E)



Human Rights Council Thirty-fifth session

6-23 June 2017

Agenda items 2 and 6

Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner

for Human Rights and reports of the Office of

the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General

Universal periodic review

Operations of the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review

Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for

Human Rights

United Nations A/HRC/35/18

I. Introduction

A. Submission of the report

1. The present report is submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council decision

17/119, in which the Secretariat was requested to provide an annual written update on the

operations of the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the

Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review and on the resources available to it. The

report was prepared by the Secretariat in consultation with the Board of Trustees of the

Fund. The report provides an overview of contributions and expenditure as at 31 December

2016, together with a description of action taken since the submission of the previous report

(A/HRC/32/28) to operationalize the Fund. It also provides a description of the results

achieved through the various activities funded by the Voluntary Fund during 2016.

B. Background

2. In its resolution 6/17, the Human Rights Council requested the Secretary-General to

establish a voluntary fund for financial and technical assistance in order to provide, in

conjunction with multilateral funding mechanisms, a source of financial and technical

assistance to help countries implement recommendations emanating from the universal

periodic review in consultation with, and with the consent of, the country concerned. In its

resolution 16/21, the Council requested that the Voluntary Fund be strengthened and

operationalized in order to provide a source of financial and technical assistance to help

countries, in particular least developed countries and small island developing States, to

implement the recommendations emanating from their review. The Council also requested

that a board of trustees be established in accordance with the rules of the United Nations.

3. The Voluntary Fund was established in 2009. The Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has continued to provide financial and

technical assistance to States that have requested or consented to receiving such support.

Support has been provided in the spirit of the founding resolution of the universal periodic

review, in which it is stated that the objectives of the review include the improvement of the

human rights situation on the ground (Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, annex, para. 4

(a)), the fulfilment of the State’s human rights obligations and commitments (ibid., para. 4

(b)) and the enhancement of the State’s capacity and of technical assistance, in consultation

with, and with the consent of, the State concerned (ibid., para. 4 (c)).

II. Operationalization of the Voluntary Fund

A. Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund

4. The members of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for

Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights also serve as the Board of Trustees for

the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the

Universal Periodic Review (see A/HRC/29/22, para. 4). They are tasked with overseeing

the management of the latter Fund. The members are Marieclaire Acosta Urquidi (Mexico),

Lin Lim (Malaysia), Valeriya Lutkovska (Ukraine), Christopher Sidoti (Australia) and Esi

Sutherland-Addy (Ghana). The Board elected Mr. Sidoti as Chair for the period 30 June

2016 to the end of the Board’s seventh session, held in Geneva in March 2017; at that

session, the Board elected Ms. Acosta Urquidi as Chair.

5. In close consultation with the various sections of OHCHR, the Board of Trustees

focuses its attention on broadly guiding the operationalization of the Voluntary Fund for

Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review

by providing policy advice.

6. Since the submission of the previous report, the Board of Trustees has undertaken a

field mission to the OHCHR office in Guatemala, in October 2016, and has held its regular

annual session, its seventh, in Geneva in March 2017. At that session, the Board had

strategic discussions with the relevant OHCHR officers on follow-up support to identify

strategic options for OHCHR provision of technical assistance and cooperation aimed at

assisting States to implement more effectively recommendations emanating from the

universal periodic review and other international human rights mechanisms at the country

level. The Board will develop the strategic options over the next six months for further

consideration at its next session.

7. During the session, the Board of Trustees acknowledged the results achieved by its

follow-up support strategy focusing on national follow-up mechanisms and processes at the

country level. It highlighted the need for OHCHR to articulate a strategic vision for follow-

up support focusing on and leading to better implementation on the ground of

recommendations emanating from international human rights mechanisms. The Board

strongly encouraged OHCHR to explore ways of providing more focused technical

assistance and cooperation aimed at assisting States to implement specific key human rights

recommendations and address specific issues, in accordance with the priorities established

in the framework of the OHCHR Management Plan 2018-2021, which is currently under

development.

B. Strategic vision

8. As noted in previous reports (A/HRC/26/54, A/HRC/29/22 and A/HRC/32/28),

OHCHR has been developing the capacity to provide increased support to States in their

efforts to implement the outcome of the universal periodic review and other international

human rights mechanisms. That effort has been anchored in a holistic and integrated

approach that allows OHCHR to provide technical assistance and support that takes into

account the recommendations of the universal periodic review, the treaty bodies and the

special procedures. Such an integrated approach provides States with a significant

opportunity to address the key human rights issues identified in the recommendations

emanating from international human rights mechanisms.

9. OHCHR has been making every effort to render its follow-up support more

proactive, systematic and results-oriented. To that end, it has been engaging States in their

efforts to implement the recommendations of international human rights mechanisms by

providing support directly through its field presences or by ensuring the integration of

support in United Nations country team programming on follow-up.

10. Thus far, OHCHR has focused its support on establishing or strengthening national

mechanisms and processes for follow-up. Key elements identified for more effective

follow-up at the national level include a well-functioning inter-institutional body, an

implementation action plan that clearly identifies achievable results and priorities, national

government agencies responsible for implementation, and indicators and timelines against

which to measure impact. OHCHR has made every effort to maximize its effectiveness.

Support from the Voluntary Fund to strengthen national follow-up mechanisms and

processes has been closely aligned and coordinated with the support provided to States

under the treaty body capacity-building programme on national mechanisms for reporting

and follow-up.

11. OHCHR has been increasingly providing support to address key thematic human

rights issues identified in recommendations from international human rights mechanisms as

priority issues for implementation on the ground.

12. In order to provide more effective support to States in implementing their human

rights commitments and obligations, OHCHR will continue to adapt and revitalize its

strategic vision to support States in the preparation of their national reports and the

implementation of the recommendations emanating from the universal periodic review.

13. In line with the terms of reference of the Voluntary Fund, it is essential to ensure

that the universal periodic review outcomes are well integrated and mainstreamed into the

United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks, the integrated strategic frameworks

in peacekeeping missions and in national development plans, and that the information on

review outcomes is widely disseminated.

14. A thorough analysis of the universal periodic review outcomes and those of other

human rights mechanisms, such as the concluding observations of treaty bodies, the

findings and recommendations of special procedures and the findings of commissions of

inquiry mandated by the Human Rights Council, may also serve as a tool for conflict

prevention, providing an indication of potential risk factors and necessary measures to be

taken by the international community to adequately address them.

15. In addition, it should be highlighted that the universal periodic review outcomes

may constitute an essential element to be considered in relation to implementation of the

Sustainable Development Goals. Hence, follow-up support through technical assistance and

cooperation to States should be aimed at fully integrating the universal periodic review

outcomes into national frameworks and processes for the implementation of the Sustainable

Development Goals.

III. Results achieved through the implementation of activities supported by the Voluntary Fund during 2016

16. The present section provides examples of the results achieved through a range of

activities aimed at supporting States in implementing the recommendations of international

human rights mechanisms in an integrated manner on the ground.

Africa

17. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an integrated national action plan for the

implementation of recommendations from all United Nations human rights protection

mechanisms was drafted, with technical and financial support from the United Nations Joint

Human Rights Office. A four-day workshop, partly facilitated by an expert from the

Subregional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa in Yaoundé,

resulted in a draft action plan, which is awaiting finalization and approval by all

stakeholders. The validation process was expected to be finalized during the first quarter of

2017.

18. In the Niger, OHCHR supported the Government in organizing two workshops to

disseminate the outcomes of the universal periodic review, which involved representatives

of the Government and State institutions, the media, civil society and the National Human

Rights Commission. OHCHR also assisted the Government, led by the Minister of Justice,

to prepare and adopt an action plan on follow-up to the review recommendations,

contributing in particular to the development of the matrix and narrative of the action plan.

In partnership with other United Nations entities, OHCHR contributed to the consolidation

of the dialogue between civil society, the National Human Rights Commission and the

Government on the recommendations. OHCHR also trained 20 members of an

interministerial committee, including eight women, on the guidelines for the preparation of

the initial report to be submitted under the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the

Child.

Asia and the Pacific

19. In Afghanistan, technical assistance was provided to strengthen governmental

capacity to prepare State party reports for submission to the treaty bodies and to coordinate

the implementation of their recommendations. The human rights unit of the United Nations

Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) contributed to discussions held on 13 to 15

November 2016 on national and shadow reporting with relevant government and non-

governmental actors in connection with reporting to the Committee on the Elimination of

Discrimination against Women. Similarly, UNAMA/OHCHR started work on its own

update report on torture for the Committee against Torture. UNAMA/OHCHR also worked

with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination as it drafted its list of

issues to urge Afghanistan to submit a report after over 30 years of non-reporting. A

network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also completed a shadow report for the

Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and was offered comments and

suggestions by UNAMA/OHCHR; the Government was expected to submit its initial report

in early 2017.

20. In Cambodia, OHCHR, in close partnership with civil society, has monitored the

implementation of the Law on Associations and Non-governmental Organizations since its

adoption in 2015. It successfully contributed to increasing knowledge among civil society

through a series of training courses partly supported by the Voluntary Fund, aimed at

raising awareness about the right to peaceful assembly under international human rights law

and domestic legislation and building local capacity to comply with the law. OHCHR also

produced a Khmer version of the checklist drawn up by the Special Rapporteur on the

rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association on the proper management of

assemblies. OHCHR supported a symposium on the six-month review of the Trade Union

Law, which brought together 129 representatives from trade unions across sectors. They

discussed the challenges faced under the new law and made recommendations for

amendments to it with a view to improving its compliance with the country’s obligations

under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Labour

Organization conventions.

21. In the Philippines, two bills aimed at establishing a national preventive mechanism

under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or

Degrading Treatment or Punishment were filed in the Seventeenth Congress and one bill

was discussed by the House Committee on Human Rights in November 2016. Through

funds allocated by the Voluntary Fund, originally intended for 2015 but deferred to 2016 at

the request of the National Human Rights Commission, the Human Rights Adviser

supported the organization of a national workshop held by the Commission in December

2016 on advancing the establishment of a national preventive mechanism.

22. OHCHR provided extensive support to Samoa before, during and after its second

universal periodic review in the form of a United Nations Volunteer/universal periodic

review coordinator funded by the Voluntary Fund. In order to support the functions of the

national mechanism for reporting and follow-up, the volunteer based in Samoa designed an

implementation monitoring and data-collection website application, obtaining funding for

its development from the United Nations Development Programme and New Zealand. The

application, entitled “Sadata”, was under development and would be integrated into the

work of the national mechanism for reporting and follow-up in early 2017.

23. In Thailand, OHCHR organized a workshop on the ratification of the Optional

Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading

Treatment or Punishment and the establishment of the national preventive mechanism. The

programme served as a useful means to raise Thai officials’ awareness of the importance of

ratification of that instrument as part of its efforts to end the use of torture. The Government

has agreed to ratify the Optional Protocol by 2017. In addition, OHCHR organized a five-

day training session for the Royal Thai Police on law enforcement and human rights, which

raised police officers’ awareness of fundamental human rights. OHCHR also organized a

high-level discussion with senior police officials, which was instrumental in raising human

rights and policing concerns at the leadership level of the Royal Thai Police. OHCHR plans

to continue its engagement with the Royal Thai Police on capacity development in 2017.

Europe and Central Asia

24. In Serbia, the Government approved a new housing bill in November 2016 and sent

it to the parliament for approval. Consultation, outreach and training measures were

supported by the Voluntary Fund. OHCHR provided the Government with extensive

comments on multiple drafts of the bill. It aimed to enhance the holistic human rights

character of the bill and establish a strong legal basis for good human rights-based

development of the Serbian housing sector on the basis of the recommendations made by

the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate

standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, in the report of her

mission in May 2015 (see A/HRC/31/54/Add.2). OHCHR also provided a non-paper to the

Government on normative requirements in the area of the right to adequate housing and

best practices in that regard, following up on that report. Legal provisions on human rights

in the context of resettlement aimed particularly at the Roma community were included in

the bill, including requirements for social inclusion, such as access to mainstream schooling

and the labour market. The bill sent to the parliament also includes a number of safeguards

in the context of evictions, which have not previously formed part of Serbian law.

25. The Government of Tajikistan, with the support of OHCHR, made considerable

efforts to improve the inter-agency mechanism for the implementation of international

human rights obligations, including by reviewing its regulations to expand the role of civil

society. That included advocacy on enhancing the mechanism’s functions on monitoring

and follow-up by appointing human rights focal points at the ministerial and municipal

levels, launching and regularly updating the website of the commission on the

implementation of international obligations in the field of human rights, and holding public

consultations with civil society organizations. Furthermore, OHCHR advocacy has also

resulted in the Government developing a comprehensive national action plan.

26. In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the expert working group of the

national mechanism for reporting and follow-up (the government intersectoral body)

increased its skills and competence to coordinate State reporting and follow-up efforts.

Through workshops, OHCHR helped the working group to acquire skills for clustering and

prioritizing, as well as applying an integrated approach to the implementation of

recommendations using the OHCHR human rights indicators framework. As a result, the

working group has developed a tool to cluster all the recommendations and has started

drafting an integrated implementation plan.

Middle East and North Africa

27. In Iraq, OHCHR provided technical and other assistance to the Government in the

preparation of reports under various human rights treaties. It also provided considerable

support, capacity-building and technical advice to civil society organizations on shadow

reporting, and to the national High Commission for Human Rights on submission of reports

to treaty bodies. Iraq has not yet responded to the universal periodic review

recommendation to develop an implementation action plan for the review

recommendations. OHCHR negotiated with the Government of the Kurdistan Region of

Iraq to hold a series of consultations with relevant stakeholders, including civil society, on

developing an implementation action plan to implement the review recommendations that

are relevant to the region pursuant to its jurisdiction. The action plan was due to be

endorsed and launched in early 2017.

28. In Mauritania, the participation of women in the discussions on the effective

implementation of universal periodic review recommendations and the drafting of the

national development strategy 2016-2030 was reinforced through workshops with civil

society, targeting women. As a result, human rights NGOs are aware of the relationship

between human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals, the process of national

prioritization and their relevance for the national development strategy 2016-2030. OHCHR

provided ongoing training and capacity-building to the ministerial unit responsible for

drafting that strategy and the consultants working on the different development assistance

framework-related documents. As coordinator of the human rights and gender thematic

group under the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, OHCHR raised

United Nations colleagues’ awareness about human rights mainstreaming and initiated a

joint meeting with the evaluation and monitoring group.

Latin America and the Caribbean

29. In Argentina, OHCHR provided technical assistance to the Federal Human Rights

Council to strengthen SIPEN, the national periodic reports system that is in place to

monitor compliance with recommendations and reporting to human rights mechanisms.

30. During 2016, the human rights officer based in Barbados conducted seminars across

the Eastern Caribbean for government officials and civil society on the United Nations

international human rights mechanisms with a focus on the universal periodic review and

the treaty bodies. The officer provided assistance on the establishment of a national

mechanism for reporting and follow-up, and supported the Governments of Barbados,

Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the process of

strengthening their national mechanisms for reporting and follow-up to recommendations

from human rights mechanisms. The officer also provided assistance to the Governments of

Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to establish a plan of

action to implement recommendations emanating from the universal periodic review.

31. In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, improvements were made to SIPLUS, the

system for following up, monitoring and gathering statistics on human rights

recommendations made to the country by mechanisms within the universal system of

human rights protection, following the system’s initial launch in December 2015. With the

support of OHCHR, the web design and operational system were improved in order to

ensure that everyone has easy access to all the human rights recommendations made to the

country, as well as the State’s follow-up actions. Furthermore, the database connects the

actions to human rights indicators that were developed by the Ministry of Justice and the

National Institute of Statistics. The new version of the system was officially launched on 6

December 2016.

32. In Brazil, the national programme for the protection of human rights defenders has

been severely weakened under the new administration, and its future remains uncertain.

OHCHR piloted an activity in Brazil that planted the seed for a joint Inter-American

Commission on Human Rights/OHCHR regional initiative on human rights defenders.

OHCHR prepared an analysis of the legal, institutional and public policy framework, which

identified the groups at risk and the root causes of violations of the rights of human rights

defenders in the country and the specific challenges they face. It included groups that are

invisible in terms of statistics and reporting, such as women and urban human rights

defenders. The analysis included a set of recommendations and called for the United

Nations system in Brazil to take a more active role on that issue, particularly in the case of

reprisals.

33. Chile signed a cooperation agreement with SIMORE, the system set up in Paraguay

to monitor the human rights recommendations it received, and was developing a

mechanism to follow up on the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the

Child. OHCHR recently received a request to support follow-up to the recommendations of

the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. OHCHR hopes that, with the

mandate of the Deputy Ministry of Human Rights fully established, Chile will move to a

more integrated approach to include recommendations from all mechanisms. OHCHR has

been discussing with the new Deputy Minister priorities for the mandate, which includes

the preparation of a national human rights action plan.

34. In Costa Rica, OHCHR and the United Nations country team continued supporting

the national reporting and follow-up mechanism, in particular in the adoption of the 2016

workplan and the establishment of priority initiatives in the area of non-discrimination.

OHCHR support enabled the compilation of existing human rights programmes/public

policies and the establishment of a permanent mechanism for civil society participation

therein. OHCHR also initiated preparations for the piloting of the multilingual universal

database to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations of the human rights

mechanisms.

35. In the Dominican Republic, progress was made in strengthening the Ombudsman’s

Office, the national human rights institution, and in developing a national human rights

action plan. Progress was also made in terms of setting up a permanent, participatory and

strengthened human rights mechanism within the Executive to effectively engage with

international human rights mechanisms, including by fulfilling reporting obligations and

follow-up to and implementation of recommendations. The official launch of the action

plan, originally scheduled for December 2016, was postponed to the first quarter of 2017.

The approval of the action plan will require the revision and reinforcement of the inter-

institutional Commission on Human Rights, which is called to play an active role in

following up the implementation of the plan. As a result of the consultancy carried out in

2015 to support the process of developing the action plan and the mechanism for dialogue

with civil society organizations, the main human rights recommendations from the United

Nations treaty bodies and the universal periodic review were systematized and shared with

the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is willing to import the SIMORE system from

Paraguay.

36. In Ecuador, OHCHR is providing technical advice to the Government on the

implementation of its SIDERECHOS online platform in preparation for drafting the State

report for the universal periodic review due in 2017. OHCHR focused on strengthening

civil society engagement with human rights mechanisms. Its efforts to encourage civil

society organizations to interact strategically with United Nations mechanisms contributed

to 13 such organizations submitting reports for the universal periodic review.

37. In Jamaica, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Ministry of

Justice increased their capacity to lead the interministerial coordination body on follow-up

to the recommendations of human rights mechanisms. The Interministerial Committee for

Human Rights, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, is an ad hoc

committee established for the purposes of the universal periodic review and reporting on

the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, although in practice it covers the

country’s reporting obligations under all ratified treaties. It enhanced its capacity in the

reporting process and the interactive dialogue with treaty bodies, and informally expressed

an interest in the national recommendations tracking database currently under development

by OHCHR.

38. In Paraguay, technical cooperation was provided to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

to strengthen State capacity to monitor and report on the implementation of

recommendations, particularly through the use and consolidation of SIMORE. An intensive

cooperation programme was also developed to support the implementation of

recommendations on combating poverty and the rights of indigenous peoples and persons

with disabilities. Within the framework of the national action plan on the rights of persons

with disabilities, civil society was empowered to participate in the design of public policies

and in decision-making processes, including the development of human rights indicators

linked to the Sustainable Development Goals. With OHCHR support, a set of indicators on

the rights to education, health, food, an adequate standard of living, including housing and

water, was adopted. The process included linkages to the Sustainable Development Goals,

therefore ensuring an appropriate connection between development and human rights.

39. In Uruguay, OHCHR is supporting the process of implementing SIMORE and the

establishment of a national mechanism for reporting and follow-up. SIMORE was expected

to be fully functional from December 2016. In addition, a decree is expected to be signed

and ratified by all ministries stating the responsibility of State institutions to provide

information and appoint a representative to the national mechanism. It was expected that

the decree would be endorsed and in force by the end of 2016.

40. The OHCHR Regional Office for South America organized a regional consultation

with national universal periodic review advisers, United Nations coordination officials and

United Nations resident coordinators to define regional strategies and methodologies aimed

at implementing universal periodic review recommendations. A follow-up consultation

with United Nations resident coordinators from six countries in the region was also

supported. Its aim was to analyse the political and institutional changes in the region and

their impact on human rights policies, and to discuss the challenges and opportunities for

the participation of States, civil society, national human rights institutions and the United

Nations system in the reviews of human rights mechanisms, Human Rights Up Front and

the Sustainable Development Goals.

IV. Financial situation of the Voluntary Fund

Table 1

Statement of income and expenditure for the period 1 January-31 December 2016

(United States dollars)

Income or expenditure Total

Income

Voluntary contributions received from Governments 503 317.91

Gain/loss on exchange rate -1 146.07

Miscellaneous and interest income 14 541.63

Total income 516 713.47

Expenditure

Staff costs 363 486.95

Travel of staff and representatives 51 453.68

Contractual services 56 807.72

General operating expenses 157 475.66

Supplies and materials 0

Equipment, vehicles and furniture 0

Transfers and grants to implementing

partners 132.00

Programme support costs 82 036.36

Total expenditure 711 392.37

Net excess (shortfall) of income over expenditures for the period -194 678.90

Opening balance on 1 January 2016 970 950.16

Miscellaneous adjustments/savings/refunds to donors -1.79

Total fund balance as at 31 December 2016 776 269.47

Table 2

Contributions to the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the

Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review, from the establishment of the Fund

to 31 December 2016

(United States dollars)

Donor Contribution

Year 2008/09

Colombia 40 000

Russian Federation 450 000

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 45 326

Biennium 2010-2011

Germany 148 148

Morocco 500 000

Russian Federation 200 000

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 133 707

Biennium 2012-2013

Australia 387 580

Germany 475 664

Kazakhstan 9 975

Norway 849 114

Donor Contribution

Biennium 2014-2015

Germany 242 843

Kazakhstan 53 890

Netherlands 30 000

Norway 601 732

Oman 10 000

Biennium 2016-2017

Germany 109 649

Republic of Korea 25 000

Norway 238 175

Saudi Arabia 75 000

Spain 54 348

Total contributions 5 088 085

41. Table 1 shows the detailed financial situation of the Voluntary Fund as at 31

December 2016 (statement of income and expenditure).

42. Since the establishment of the Voluntary Fund in 2009, 13 countries have made

financial contributions: Australia, Colombia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Morocco, the

Netherlands, Norway, Oman, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia,

Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Table 2 provides an

overview of all contributions received from the establishment of the Voluntary Fund to 31

December 2016.

43. It is expected that, as the revitalized OHCHR strategic vision for follow-up support

focuses on providing support to States in implementing key thematic priority

recommendations in a holistic and integrated manner, the demand from States for financial

support from the Voluntary Fund will continue and indeed increase. Hence, it is critical to

extend the donor base and obtain additional funding in order to make a sustained impact at

the country level in providing technical assistance and support to States for more effective

implementation of recommendations emanating from international human rights

mechanisms.

V. Conclusions

44. The primary responsibility for implementing recommendations of international

human rights mechanisms at the country level rests with States. Hence, securing the

political will of States and enhancing their ability to bring about tangible results is

vital to meeting the key objective of the universal periodic review, namely, improving

the human rights situation on the ground. With a view to achieving that objective, the

Voluntary Fund has continued to serve as a valuable source of support for countries

in the implementation of the recommendations emanating from their universal

periodic review and from other international human rights mechanisms such as treaty

bodies and special procedures.

45. The focus of OHCHR support has been on building the capacity of States to

implement more effectively the recommendations of international human rights

mechanisms, particularly by providing support for the establishment or strengthening

of national follow-up mechanisms and processes, including inter-institutional bodies

such as national mechanisms for reporting and follow-up.

46. OHCHR support to help national follow-up mechanisms and processes function

more effectively has continued to gain traction. That support to national mechanisms

for reporting and follow-up will continue in close coordination with the OHCHR

treaty body capacity-building programme. Support from the Voluntary Fund will

focus on assisting States to fulfil their commitments to implement priority thematic

human rights recommendations accepted during their universal periodic review and

those from other international human rights mechanisms.

47. OHCHR will continue to strive to share with States and other United Nations

partners several tools that are available to help integrate and mainstream the

recommendations of international human rights mechanisms into their respective

programmes, such as the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks and

national development action plans.

48. It is worth noting that OHCHR, with the advice of the Board of Trustees of the

Fund, constantly reviews and updates its strategic vision for follow-up support in

order to provide more effective support to States in an effort to facilitate results on the

ground in terms of the promotion and protection of human rights. While OHCHR

continues to take a holistic and integrated approach to its follow-up support, it seeks,

through the use of money from the Voluntary Fund, to: (a) provide capacity-building

to States for them to prepare meaningful national reports on implementation, through

the provision of training across the spectrum of the government actors concerned; and

(b) enable States to meet their commitments by focusing on supporting them to

implement key thematic priority recommendations. In that regard, it is important to

integrate recommendations from international human rights mechanisms into the

national planning processes; to utilize international human rights recommendations

for early warning and conflict prevention by integrating them into the Human Rights

Up Front initiative; and to ensure that the recommendations become a crucial element

in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals by integrating them into

the relevant national implementation frameworks and action plans.

49. It is also important to encourage and secure the active participation of other

stakeholders in the follow-up process, as that is key to achieving a sustained impact.

Hence, various stakeholders should be able to benefit, either directly or indirectly,

from the Voluntary Fund by becoming involved in the technical cooperation and

assistance programme for the States that are beneficiaries of the Fund.

50. In order to provide technical support and assistance for follow-up more

effectively, it is imperative that more contributions be made to the Voluntary Fund.

With additional resources, the Fund will be able to support OHCHR to ensure the

sustainability of support to States in implementing the recommendations of the

international human rights mechanisms.