Second Consolidated Annual Progress Report on Activities Implemented under the UNDG Human Rights Mainstreaming (UNDG-HRM) Fund

Transcription

1 Second Consolidated Annual Progress Report on Activities Implemented under the UNDG Human Rights Mainstreaming (UNDG-HRM) Fund Report of the Administrative Agent of the UNDG-HRM Fund 1 January 31 December 2013 Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office Bureau of Management United Nations Development Programme 31 May 2014

2 UNDG-HRM Fund PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS International Labour Organization CONTRIBUTORS DENMARK, Government of Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations Development Programme United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization FINLAND, Government of IRISH AID NORWAY, Government of SWEDISH INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION United Nations Population Fund United Nations Children's Fund United Nations System Staff College World Health Organization Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund i

3 DEFINITIONS Allocation Amount approved by the Steering Committee for a project/programme. Approved Project/Programme A project/programme including budget, etc., that is approved by the Steering Committee for fund allocation purposes. Contributor Commitment Amount(s) committed by a donor to a Fund in a signed Standard Administrative Arrangement with the UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office), in its capacity as the Administrative Agent. A commitment may be paid or pending payment. Contributor Deposit Cash deposit received by the MPTF Office for the Fund from a contributor in accordance with a signed Standard Administrative Arrangement (SAA). Delivery Rate The percentage of funds that have been utilized, calculated by comparing expenditures reported by a Participating Organization against the 'net funded amount'. Indirect Support Costs A general cost that cannot be directly related to any particular programme or activity of the Participating Organizations. UNDG policy establishes a fixed indirect cost rate of 7% of programmable costs. Participating Organization A UN Organization or other inter-governmental Organization that is an implementing partner in a Fund, as represented by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the MPTF Office for a particular Fund. Project Expenditure The sum of expenses and/or expenditure reported by all Participating Organizations for a Fund irrespective of which basis of accounting each Participating Organization follows for donor reporting. Project Financial Closure A project or programme is considered financially closed when all financial obligations of an operationally completed project or programme have been settled, and no further financial charges may be incurred. Project Operational Closure A project or programme is considered operationally closed when all programmatic activities for which Participating Organization(s) received funding have been completed. Project Start Date Date of transfer of first instalment from the MPTF Office to the Participating Organization. Total Approved Budget This represents the cumulative amount of allocations approved by the Steering Committee. Net Funded Amount Amount transferred to a Participating Organization less any refunds transferred back to the MPTF Office by a Participating Organization. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund ii

4 Abbreviations and Acronyms HRA HRBA HRM ILO MDGs MDTF MOU MPTF Office OHCHR RC RMC QCPR TOR UN UNCT UNDAF UNDG UNDG-HRM UNDOCO UNDP UNESCO UNFPA UNICEF UNSSC WHO Human Rights Adviser Human Rights-Based Approach Human Rights Mainstreaming International Labour Organization Millennium Development Goals Multi-Donor Trust Fund Memorandum of Understanding Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office UNDP Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Resident Coordinator Resource Management Committee Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review Terms of Reference United Nations United Nations Country Team United Nations Development Assistance Framework United Nations Development Group UNDG Human Rights Mainstreaming Mechanism United Nations Development Operations Coordination Office United Nations Development Programme United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization United Nations Population Fund United Nations Children s Fund United Nations System Staff Colleague World Health Organization Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund iii

5 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... V 1. INTRODUCTION STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK AND GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS... 3 Human Rights Mainstreaming within the UN System... 3 UNDG-HRM Fund Governance Structure PROGRAMME/PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCEDURES... 8 Implementation Modalities... 8 Transfer of Funds PROJECT/PROGRAMME APPROVALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS Programme Achievements Overall Fund Achievements and Challenges FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund iv

6 Executive Summary Introduction This second Annual Progress Report on Activities Implemented under the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) Human Rights Mainstreaming Fund (UNDG-HRM Fund) is submitted to the donors of the UNDG-HRM Fund by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office), in its capacity as the Administrative Agent (AA) of the UNDG-HRM Fund in fulfilment of the reporting provisions of the Standard Administrative Arrangement. The information presented in this Progress Report covers the period from 1 January to 31 December This report is consolidated based on information contained in the individual programme narrative reports and financial information provided by the UNDG-HRM Secretariat and Participating UN organizations. Strategic Framework The overall objective of the senior-level UNDG-HRM is to further institutionalize human rights mainstreaming efforts in the UN development system and to strengthen system-wide coherence and collaboration and provide support for Resident Coordinators and UN country teams on human rights mainstreaming, so that they can better respond to rising demand from Member States for capacity building and technical assistance on human rights. The UNDG-HRM supports strategic human rights mainstreaming activities at global, regional and country levels. Report Structure The Annual Progress Report is structured into five sections. Section 1 provides an introduction to the UNDG-HRM Fund and reporting requirements. Section 2 outlines the strategic framework and governance structure. Section 3 outlines the project approval procedures. Section 4 highlights programme implementation progress and provides information on fund-level achievements and challenges during the second year of operations. Section 5 provides an update on financial performance. UNDG HRM Trust Fund Extension The UNDG HRM Steering Committee approved the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the UNDG HRM Trust Fund until 2016, in line with the UNDG Strategic Priorities. The rationale is to enable the UNDG-HRM to build on the momentum achieved through the 2013 fund allocations and ensure continued support to RCs and UNCTs in responding to the growing demand for human rights support in the context of development. Progress Highlights In 2013 the UNDG- HRM moved forward with critical components of its Operational Plan covering all three levels of policy and operational support- headquarter, regional and country support. Drawing on the MDTF architecture set up in 2012 to facilitate transparent, inclusive and efficient decision making, 15 projects were approved in 2013 (over 85% at the regional and country level). Funding decisions were guided by defined criteria to ensure strategic and objective decision making. At the country and regional level, the UNDG Human Rights Adviser Deployment Strategy was operationalized with 10 UN Country Teams (UNCTs) and two Regional UNDG Teams selected for deployment of human rights advisers. Two of the in-country human rights advisers (Maldives and Timor-Leste) were deployed during the reporting period and have already demonstrated results in strategically positioning the UNCTs on human rights issues, while for others the recruitment was at an advanced stage. Catalytic support to 8 UNCTs was provided in the reporting period to support the strengthening of the human rights agenda within the UNCTs development work, with projects ranging Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund v

7 from initiatives aimed at mainstreaming human rights into national development plans and processes, to supporting countries follow up to recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review and other human rights mechanisms, to strengthening national human rights protection systems. At the global policy level, to support Resident Coordinators (RCs) in leading human rights mainstreaming efforts, the UNDG-HRM initiated the updating of guidance on human rights for RCs and the design of a leadership development strategy for RCs on human rights. The UNDG-HRM, also engaged actively in the UNDG process of revising the RC job description to strengthen and clarify the RC s role on human rights. To bring together the various experiences and knowledge at the country level and inform policies and support at the regional and global level, the UNDG-HRM produced its first case studies publication: Mainstreaming Human Rights in Development- Stories from the field, which was launched at a side event of the General Assembly in September Finally, the UNDG-HRM provided technical expertise and guidance to the UNDG on strengthening normative and operational linkages in the context of current efforts to develop Standard Operating Procedures for Delivering as One countries in follow-up to the QCPR. It also actively engaged in policy processes such as Rights up Front and has taken steps aimed at strengthening engagement by UNCTs with the human rights machinery. Through these processes the UNDG-HRM demonstrated its role as the centre of excellence and platform for policy coherence within the UN development system on human rights. With the extension of the MOU for the MDTF until 2016, the UNDG-HRM will be able to build on the momentum achieved through the 2013 fund allocations and ensure continued support to RCs and UNCTs in responding to the growing demand for human rights support in the context of development. Financial Performance In 2013, an additional US$ 3,310,600 was contributed bringing the total deposits to US$ 7,313,290 as of 31 December An additional Fund-earned interest increased to US$ 10,403 bringing the total available funding as of 31 December 2013 to US$7,323,693. As of 31 December 2013, US$ 4,110,311 was approved in funding to support new projects and US$ 616,914 to support of the UNDG-HRM Secretariat through the direct cost budget. The balance of funds available with the AA as of 31 December 2013 was US$ 1,868,724 of which $1,651,960 was deposited into the UNDG-HRM fund account in December During the reporting period, US$ 489,764 was reported as expenditure by the Participating Organizations as of 31 December This is attributable to the fact that most projects received funding in September 2013 and were only in early implementation stages at the time of reporting. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund vi

8 1. Introduction The United Nations Development Group Human Rights Mainstreaming (UNDG-HRM) Fund is established to further institutionalize human rights mainstreaming efforts in the United Nations (UN) development Stories from the field was developed under the auspices of the UNDG-HRM to respond to the request from UNCTs for evidence-based guidance on human rights mainstreaming. The publication showcases six case studies from Kenya, Moldova, Philippines, Tanzania, Uruguay, and Vietnam. These highlight the growing number of UNCTs supporting governments fulfil human rights commitments. It illustrates the different ways that UNCTs can support both government and civil society engage with international human rights mechanisms and integrate human rights into national development processes and policies. system and to strengthen system-wide coherence and collaboration, and provide support for Resident Coordinators (RCs) and UN country teams (UNCTs) on human rights mainstreaming, so that they can better respond to rising demand from Member States for capacity building and technical assistance on human rights. The UNDG-HRM Fund supports strategic human rights mainstreaming activities at global, regional and country level. This second Annual Progress Report for 2013 on Activities Implemented under the UNDG-HRM Fund is submitted to the donors of the UNDG-HRM Fund by the UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office), in its capacity as the Administrative Agent of the UNDG-HRM Fund in fulfilment of the reporting provisions of the Standard Administrative Arrangement (SAA). The information presented in this Progress Report covers the period from 1 January to 31 December This report is consolidated based on information and data contained in the individual progress reports and financial statements submitted by UNDG-HRM Secretariat and Participating Organizations to the MPTF Office. It is neither an evaluation of the UNDG-HRM Fund nor the MPTF Office s assessment of the performance of the Participating Organizations. The Annual Progress Report provides information on the financial data, and on progress made in the implementation of projects funded by the UNDG-HRM Fund during the current reporting period as well as prior year reporting to provide an overall update on the status of the UNDG-HRM Fund. During the reporting period, the UNDG HRM Steering Committee approved the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the UNDG HRM Trust Fund until 2016, in line with the UNDG Strategic Priorities. The rationale is to enable the UNDG- HRM to build on the momentum achieved through the 2013 fund allocations and ensure continued support to RC and UNCTs in responding to the growing demand for human rights support in the context of development. In 2013, the Fund received three additional contributions totalling US$ 3,310,600 from Denmark, Finland and Sweden, bringing the total deposits to US$ 7,313,290 as of 31 December An additional Fund-earned interest increased to US$ 10,403 bringing the total available funding as of 31 December 2013 to US$7,323,693. As of 31 December 2013, US$ 4,110,311 was approved in funding to support 8 country level projects and six regional/global projects including the deployment of 10 incountry and 2 regional human rights advisers. An additional US$ 616,914 was approved to support the Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 1

9 UNDG-HRM Secretariat through the direct cost budget. The balance of funds available with the Administrative Agent as of 31 December 2013 was US$ 1,868,724. During the reporting period, US$ 489,764 was reported as expenditure by the Participating Organizations. This is attributable to the fact that most projects received funding in September 2013 and were only in early implementation stages at the time of reporting. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 2

10 2. Strategic Framework and Governance Arrangements Stories from the Field Human Rights Mainstreaming within the UN System Human rights, development, and peace and security are three interlinked pillars of the United Nations (UN) system. Mainstreaming human rights across the work of the UN has thus been a cornerstone of UN reform efforts since Both the World Summit in 2005 and the 2007 General Assembly resolution on Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review reaffirmed that development, human rights, and peace and security are three interlinked pillars of the UN that need to be strengthened. World leaders also gave explicit support to integrating human rights within the UN system and into national policies. The MDG Review Summit in 2010 further recognised that human rights are an integral part of effective work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Over the last three years, the political space for mainstreaming human rights within the UN development system has significantly evolved. At headquarters level, the Rights up Front Agenda has generated significant impetus for all parts of the UN system to institutionalize and strengthen human rights accountability at all levels. The 2012 Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR), for the first time, stresses the need for strengthening the normative and operational linkages within the UN development system, requesting the UN system to build national capacities for inclusive, equitable, participatory, transparent and accountable national development processes to empower the poor and people in vulnerable situations. Building on the QCPR, the UNDG s Strategic Priorities ( ) explicitly recognize the importance of promoting a human rights based approach for achieving sustainable development. Governing bodies of many UNDG member agencies also gave explicit support for mainstreaming and contributing to human rights within their respective mandates. Numerous resolutions of the Human Rights Council (and the former Commission on Human Rights) have called upon UN agencies to contribute to human rights and to integrate human rights into their activities. These inter-governmental agreements reflect the important progress that has been made over the past decade in bridging the three pillars of the UN s work. The progress of UN reforms in the areas of human rights and development have opened new windows of opportunity to engage and support Member States in fulfilling their human rights commitments and national development goals. The establishment of the Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review process has led to a rise in demand for more technical assistance and support from the UN in this regard. This requires more coordinated and coherent efforts among UN agencies, further building on the achievements and lessons from Action 2 and Delivering as One system-wide coherence efforts. To help meet these growing demands, the UNDG-HRM was established in November 2009 as a successor to the Action 2 programme. It responds to the call from the Secretary-General in 2008 to further strengthen system-wide coherence, collaboration and support for Resident Coordinators and UN country teams in mainstreaming human rights. With its broad membership of 19 UN agencies, Funds and Programmes, the UNDG-HRM mechanism aims to further institutionalize human rights mainstreaming efforts in the UN development system and Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 3

11 to strengthen system-wide coherence and collaboration and provide support for Resident Coordinators and UN country teams on human rights mainstreaming, so that they can better respond to rising demand from Member States for capacity building and technical assistance on human rights. The UNDG-HRM supports strategic human rights mainstreaming activities at global, regional and country level. Strategic Objectives of the UNDG-HRM Fund The UNDG-HRM s overarching objective is to further institutionalise human rights mainstreaming efforts in the UN development system and to strengthen system-wide coherence and collaboration and provide support for Resident Coordinators and UN country teams on human rights mainstreaming, building on the achievements and lessons from the former Action 2 programme. In contributing to this overall objective, the UNDG-HRM focuses on four broad priorities: Component 1: Promoting a coordinated and coherent UN system-wide approach towards the integration of human rights principles and international standards into UN operational activities for development; Component 2: Providing coherent support for Resident Coordinators and UN country teams in mainstreaming human rights; Component 3: Developing a coherent UN-system wide approach, through cooperation and collaboration among UN agencies, to providing support towards strengthening national human rights protection systems at the request of governments; and Component 4: Contributing to the integration of human rights issues in the overall UNDG advocacy on development agenda and global issues. Based on these four priorities and guided by the UNDG Strategic Priorities, the UNDG-HRM developed an Operational Plan with a three year work plan for The work plan aims to support progress on human rights mainstreaming in the following areas: Country level: Promoting coherent policy support and guidance to Resident Coordinators and UN country team agency leadership on human rights; enhancing learning opportunities for RCs and UN country team agency leadership on human rights; strengthening the RC Office capacity on human rights; supporting the integration of human rights into national development policies and strategies; and supporting the strengthening of national capacity on human rights. Regional level: Strengthening capacity and collaboration at regional level, including support to Regional UNDG Teams. UN system level: Strengthening system-wide coherence in policies and practices across UNDG, based on human rights standards and principles; and enhancing HRBA support to UN country teams, with particular focus on UNDAF roll-outs and Delivering as One pilots. Advocacy and knowledge building: Promoting strategic positioning of human rights in the context of UN operational activities for development; and enhancing UN system-wide knowledge codification and sharing. Due to funding constraints during 2012, the UNDG-HRM streamlined its work plan and budget targeting an approximate programming budget of US$ 6 million to cover priority funding requirements for As of 31 December 2013, it successfully disbursed US$ 4,073,021 with a balance of US$ 1,868,724 remaining in the UNDG HRM Fund account. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 4

12 Figure 2-1 below illustrates the UNDG HRM component and priorities to be implemented following the work plan at the global, regional and country levels. Figure 2-1 UNDG HRM Work Plan Components Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 5

13 UNDG-HRM Fund Governance Structure This section outlines roles and processes and describes how they contributed to the overall governance and accountability of the UNDG HRM Fund. Figure 2-2 UNDG-HRM Fund Governance Structure Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 6

14 Steering Committee The UNDG-HRM is chaired by the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights/OHCHR with an annually rotating Vice-Chair, which was assumed by UNICEF and UN-Women for The overall membership is at senior, decision-making level, and the members constitute the Steering Committee and provide overall leadership, set the strategic direction and approve allocations. The Administrative Agent is an ex-officio member of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee tasks the Resource Management Committee, supported by respective members of the expert-level UNDG-HRM Focal Points Group, to meet regularly to prepare resource allocation recommendations for the approval of the Steering Committee. Technical Secretariat The UN Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO), in its capacity as the UNDG secretariat, hosts the UNDG-HRM, with substantive support provided by OHCHR as its lead (Chair) agency, with other agencies leading on specific components/tasks. In addition, DOCO provides advice on UNDG policies and guidelines, and ensures institutional linkages with other UNDG Working Groups. DOCO is responsible for coordination of support to and communication with Resident Coordinators/UN country teams and Regional UNDG Teams on behalf of the UNDG-HRM. For this purpose, appropriate technical capacities have been established in DOCO. Resource Management Committee (RMC) The Resource Management Committee (RMC) is a sub-committee of the UNDG-HRM Steering Committee, established to make recommendations on all areas related to the allocation of funds from the UNDG-HRM Fund. The RMC is comprised of senior representatives from up to six Participating Organizations which have signed the MOU, one of whom serves as the Chairperson. The RMC Members are supported by their respective Focal Point Group representatives. Participating UN Organizations UN Organizations that participate in the UNDG-HRM Fund sign a standard MOU with the Administrative Agent, and operate under its own financial regulations, rules and policies and assumes full financial and programmatic accountability for the funds disbursed to it by the Administrative Agent and for the implementation of the project, and provides financial and narrative progress reports to the Administrative Agent on its activities, as described in the MOU. Participating UN Organizations shall assume full programmatic and financial accountability for funds transferred to them by the Administrative Agent. The Participating Organizations are responsible for the following activities: Submit proposals to the UNDG-HRM RMC, through the Technical Secretariat, for review and subsequent consideration by the Steering Committee; Design, implement and oversee projects; Establish a separate ledger account for the receipt and administration of the funds disbursed to it by the Administrative Agent; and, Narrative and financial progress reports as outlined in the MOU. Administrative Agent/Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office) The role of the MPTF Office, as the Administrative Agent for the UNDG-HRM Fund, includes the receipt, administration and management of contributions from donors, disbursement of funds to Participating UN Organizations in accordance with decisions of the Steering Committee, and consolidation and dissemination of progress reports to the donors. The consolidated report produced by the MPTF Office presents the UNDG-HRM Fund-funded projects, narrative and financial progress. Through the MPTF Office GATEWAY, a public website on all MPTFs administered by the MPTF Office, it ensures full transparency of the operations of the UNDG-HRM Fund. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 7

15 3. Programme/Project Development, Review and Approval Procedures Implementation Modalities Activities in the UNDG-HRM work plan, supported by the UNDG-HRM Fund, will be implemented by Participating UN Organizations utilising existing agency programme/project infrastructures (including relevant oversight bodies) at global, regional and national levels, including through the joint programming modalities. Stories from the Field The UNDG-HRM Steering Committee, supported by its Secretariat, coordinates the implementation of all activities under the UNDG-HRM Fund to ensure its timely delivery and compliance with the overall work plan and objectives. The Steering Committee has established clear criteria for selecting and allocating funds to country, regional and global activities. One of the main objectives of the UNDG-HRM is to support UN Resident Coordinators in their strategic leadership of the UN country teams in mainstreaming human rights at country level and relationships with national authorities. When activities are implemented at country level at the request of UN country teams, Resident Coordinators will provide on-going oversight to the programmes ensuring the Participating UN Organizations are meeting their obligations. Resident Coordinators also facilitate monitoring and evaluation of the UNDG-HRM activities at the country level, in conformity with UN standards, joint programming documents and related MOUs. At the global and regional level, participating organizations receiving funds from the UNDG-HRM Fund will take responsibility for oversight of the project/activity and facilitating monitoring and evaluation of the UNDG-HRM activities. Programme Approval Criteria The programmes and activities are approved based on the extent to which the goals and objectives of the proposal address the various areas outlined in the UNDG-HRM Operational Plan ( ) including contributing to one or more of the four components. In order to facilitate strategic decisionmaking in using the funds to advance the overall aims of the UNDG-HRM in accordance with the Secretary-General s guidance, the UNDG-HRM adopted detailed criteria for selecting and allocating funds towards country, regional and global activities and proposals. Criteria include UN country team involvement and ownership, strategic opportunities and a conducive environment at the national level, the potential for scaling up or drawing lessons for the regional and global levels, as well as strategic entry points and links to move the human rights and development agenda forward. These criteria helped to guide UN country teams in developing their country submissions, as well as the UNDG-HRM members in evaluating proposals received. Transfer of Funds Information on contributions received, transfers made and the available balance is publicly available on the UNDG-HRM Fund website ( on the MPTF Office GATEWAY. Based on the approval of the Steering Committee, and the signed Joint Project/Project Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 8

16 document by the Chairs and Participating UN Organizations, the MPTF Office transfers approved funds to the Participating UN Organizations who are signatory to the Joint Project/Project after ensuring consistency with the applicable provisions of the Standard Administrative Arrangement between donors and the MPTF Office, as the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Participating UN Organizations as well as the funding framework. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 9

17 4. Project/Programme Approvals and Achievements During the reporting period from 1 January to 31 December 2013, a total of 15 projects were approved by the UNDG-HRM Fund Steering Committee for a total amount of US$ 4,110,311. A detailed list of approved projects and funding as well as expenditures by project is provided in section 5. Stories from the Field 4.1 Programme Achievements The UNDG-HRM aims to further institutionalize human rights mainstreaming efforts in the UN development system and to strengthen system-wide coherence and collaboration and provide support for Resident Coordinators and UN country teams on human rights mainstreaming, so that they can better respond to rising demand from Member States for capacity building and technical assistance on human rights. The UNDG-HRM supports strategic human rights mainstreaming activities at global, regional and country level. To this end, the following chapter is divided into four sections based on the UNDG HRM Trust Fund s key components. There chapter starts with an update on the management and coordination functions of the Secretariat during the reporting period. Component 1: Promoting a coordinated and coherent UN system-wide approach towards the integration of human rights principles and international standards into UN operational activities for development; Component 2: Providing coherent support for Resident Coordinators and UN country teams in mainstreaming human rights; Component 3: Developing a coherent UN-system wide approach, through cooperation and collaboration among UN agencies, to providing support towards strengthening national human rights protection systems at the request of governments; and Component 4: Integration of human rights issues in the overall UNDG advocacy on development agenda and global issues. UNDG HRM Secretariat Direct Cost Budget - Secretariat Number of Projects: 1 Current Year Funding: US$ 616,914 Total Funding: US$ 1,308,549 In 2013 the Secretariat located in UNDOCO received additional funding from the MDTF to cover the costs of the Policy Adviser, Human Rights (P5) and the Policy Specialist, Human Rights (P4), as well as funds to develop a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan for the UNDG-HRM. The UNDG-HRM Secretariat played a central role in advancing the objectives of the UNDG-HRM in Through facilitating policy and strategic level decision-making by HRM members and coordinating the implementation of the UNDG-HRM s Operational Plan, the Secretariat ensured the political gains achieved in 2012 were sustained and support to UN country level actions accelerated. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 10

18 The Secretariat played a critical role in strengthening policy coherence in human rights mainstreaming across UN operational activities for development by: Providing guidance on strengthening the normative and operational linkages in the context of the QCPR, for the development of the UNDG Standard Operating Procedures for Delivering as One countries, as well as the revised Resident Coordinator job description and the Guidance Note on UNCT Conduct and Working Arrangements; Enhancing UN wide knowledge sharing on human right through producing the first UNDG case study publication: Mainstreaming Human Rights in Development, Stories from the Field. The publication offers concrete examples drawn from Kenya, Moldova, Philippines, Tanzania, Uruguay and Vietnam of the critical role that UNCTs play in supporting efforts by national actors to integrate human rights into national development programmes and policies, drawing on the UN s convening power, normative role and impartiality. The publication was translated into French and Spanish and launched at the UNDG meeting in September Strengthening support provided by Regional UNDG Teams through supporting two Regional Teams develop proposals and regional strategies on human rights mainstreaming. The Secretariat also helped accelerate progress in the area of strengthening support to RCs on human rights. It provided technical advice and coordination support to OHCHR in taking forward the Human Rights Adviser strategy, including assisting in the recruitment process; ensured that the UNDG and field perspective would be strongly reflected in the process of developing the RC Guidance and Leadership Development Strategy; and facilitated swift decision making by the RMC and Steering Committee over the proposals for the Human Rights Advisers, RC Guidance and Leadership Development Strategy. In addition, the Secretariat helped the UNDG-HRM take a major step forward in supporting the strengthening of national human rights protection systems by effectively managing the proposal development and selection processes for the first batch of MDTF funded country projects on human rights mainstreaming. Overall, the Secretariat played a crucial role in coordinating progress on the UNDG-HRM Operational Plan. The Secretariat organized regular meetings at senior member, focal point and activity based task team levels to ensure activities and policy initiatives moved forward in a coherent, inclusive and participatory way. Drawing on the MDTF architecture developed in 2012, the Secretariat also ensured the allocation of available UNDG-HRM funds during the course of the year to global, regional and field based activities, with over 85% of the funding going directly to the field and regional level support. Once the funding was allocated to work plan activities, the Secretariat engaged in continuous collaboration with Participating Organizations taking forward work plan activities to ensure coherence, participation and transparency in the implementation process. One outstanding item in the 2013 workplan that was rescheduled to 2014 is the development of an M&E plan, which was delayed to enable time for progress in implementing country level projects. Funding will be transferred in 2014 to support its development. Finally, the Secretariat coordinated the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding for the MDTF until 2016, in line with the UNDG Strategic Priorities. This will enable the UNDG-HRM to build on the momentum achieved through the 2013 fund allocations and ensure continued support to Resident Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 11

19 Coordinators and UNCTs in responding to the growing demand for human rights support in the context of development. Component 1: Promoting a coordinated & coherent UN system wide approach towards the integration for human rights principles and international standards into UN operational activities for development C1 UN Policy Coherence Number of Projects: 4 Current Year Funding: US$ 681,197 Total Funding: US$ 681,197 Project Title: Knowledge Management/HuriTALK Implementing Agency(s): UNDP Amounted Funded: US$ 48,525 Enhancing UN system-wide knowledge codification and sharing on human rights mainstreaming is central to reaching the objectives of the UNDG-HRM. In 2013, the UNDG-HRM financed UNDP to enhance and update the UN HRBA Practitioner s Portal. UNDP has been the main provider of knowledge management support and services to the UN system on HRBA through facilitating the UN system-wide community of practice on human rights mainstreaming the UN Human Rights Policy network HuriTALK over the last 10 years. As a response to requests from HuriTALK s membership for a one stop facility for all HRBA resources and tools, HuriTALK designed and launched the UN Practitioner s Portal on the Human Rights-Based Approach to Development Programming (UN HRBA Portal) UNDP has continued to improve and expand this unique information platform for the UN system. In 2013 through funding from the UNDG-HRM and UNDP a number of steps were taken to further improve the portal, including identifying and adding new case studies across the 26 thematic areas of the UN HRBA Portal to showcase practical examples of mainstreaming human rights; updating the substantive elements of the Portal including information on human rights standards and knowledge products and resources (not commenced); and improving the user-friendliness of the HRBA Portal. The project is on track to be finalised by Project Title: Scorecard to Measure UNCT Performance in mainstreaming Human Rights Implementing Agency(s): UNICEF Amounted Funded: US$ 53,500 One of the indicative activities included in the UNDG-HRM Work Plan is to develop a Scorecard to help UN Country Teams (UNCTs) measure their progress in mainstreaming human rights into their operational activities for development at country level. The need for such a scorecard was underlined in the 2011 Human Rights Mainstreaming Survey to UNCTs, which showed that while UNCTs are showing success in integrating HRBA into the UNDAF, there is a need for internal Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 12

20 accountability tools on human rights mainstreaming. Among others UNCTs requested support in measuring progress in mainstreaming human rights and in strengthening accountability across the UN system at country level for this work. This project is being implemented under the leadership of UNICEF, supported by an inter-agency task team. The focus of the scorecard will be on areas where the UNCT has a real value added to drive progress at the country level, e.g. legal and policy reforms. In addition to having a generic HRBA component, the scorecard will include a series of brief supplements on specific themes or issues (food, child and maternal health, reproductive health, education, HIV etc.), so as to address the more concrete implications of translating human rights standards into development programmes. To support the development of the scorecard, a consultancy was advertised in December 2013 with the aim to commence the work on developing the scorecard in Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 13

21 Component 2: Strengthening support to the Resident Coordinators and UNCT agency leadership on human rights C2 Support to Resident Coordinators Number of Projects: 2 Current Year Funding: US$ 2,571,075 Total Funding: US$ 2,571,075 Project Title: Deployment of Human Rights Advisers Implementing Agency(s): OHCHR Amounted Funded: US$ 2,371,075 In 2013 the UNDG-HRM took strategic steps forward in implementing the 2012 UNDG Human Rights Adviser Strategy, with 10 UNCTs and two Regional UNDG Teams selected for deployment of Human Rights Advisers. The following specific achievements were made during the reporting period: 10 UNCTs were selected for the deployment of a Human Rights Adviser, drawing on the criteria from the UNDG Human Rights Adviser Strategy: Following the call for expression of interest issued by the UNDG-HRM in October 2012, 27 UNCTs responded with requests for the support of a Human Rights Adviser. In accordance with the established criteria in the UNDG Human Rights Adviser Strategy, OHCHR compiled and analysed these requests and made recommendations to the RMC, who approved the fast track deployments in 2012 for the Maldives and Timor Leste, and approved the following 8 UNCT requests in 2013 for deployment as and when additional funds became available: Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia. Timor Leste: Civil society uses UN human rights mechanism to advocate on transitional justice At the end of March 2013, 25 representatives of civil society organizations and the Provedoria for Human Rights and Justice (including 13 female) were trained by the Human Rights Adviser to increase knowledge and skills on how to engage with the UN human rights mechanisms, and how to use these mechanisms to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights. Immediately after the training, in a press conference on 4 April 2013, the National Alliance for an International Tribunal, a coalition of Timorese non-governmental organizations, called for the implementation of recommendations on transitional justice accepted by Timor-Leste during its first UPR in The UPR and its outcome had been discussed during the training for civil society and the PDHJ earlier that week. Training on Human Rights Mechanisms for Civil Society and the PDHJ (31 March 1 April 2014) and press conference by civil society, calling among other things, for the implementation of UPR recommendations (4 April 2014). Photos by Human Rights Adviser s Unit and the Judicial System Monitoring Programme (JSMP) Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 14

22 Maldives and Timor-Leste Human Rights Advisers: the two HRA deployments to Maldives and Timor Leste have already demonstrated results. They helped the RCs and UNCTs in: strategically positioning themselves on human rights issues; promoting joint UN human rights advocacy; mainstreaming of human rights in the UNDAF implementation and strengthening the capacities and knowledge of human rights of UN staff. Additional achievements have been made in strengthening the human rights technical capacities of police forces, government agencies and National Human Rights Institutions. There are reports of how these activities have contributed to the decrease of police complaints in Timor Leste and the alignment of development activities to recommendations of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council in the Maldives. Maldives Your Human Rights Human Rights Advisers placed in UN Resident Coordinators offices can make significant contributions to ensure that work of the UN country teams are based on human rights as a common UN value and responds to the needs of national governments and other stakeholders in fulfilling their obligations under the international human rights instruments they ratified. A key contribution of HRAs is to strengthen knowledge, skills and capacity on human rights among a wide range of stakeholders through a number of tools developed by the project. In Maldives the HRA developed outreach and dissemination tools under the campaign Maldives Your Human Rights 1. To date, Maldives Your Human Rights enjoys almost 1200 Twitter followers, and 590 likes on Facebook. The Human Rights Way video has been viewed almost 1200 times. Following the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers in February 2013, the reach of the press statement disseminated via Facebook and Twitter exceeded 4,800 views. Recruitment Process for 8 in-country and 2 regional Human Rights Adviser positions: As additional funding was made available in late 2013, OHCHR focused on the recruitment processes for additional 10 new HRA positions, including two regional HRAs. To expedite the recruitment process for the first batch of UNDG-HRM Human Rights Adviser positions, significant time was required to overcome administrative procedures and requirements under with UN rules and regulations for recruitment, OHCHR ensured the full participation of the respective RC/UNCT in the evaluation process. At the time of the reporting, the deployments are scheduled from April to July Regional Human Rights Advisers: The UNDG-HRM invited all Regional UNDG Teams to assess their needs and submit proposals to develop 1 Also available on internet ( and or Twitter ( and Facebook, ( Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 15

23 regional strategies for human rights mainstreaming support to UNCTs, including indication of needs for Regional Human Rights Advisers. Regional UNDG Teams for Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean came forward with proposals, including requests for the deployment of Regional Human Rights Advisers to be based in Bangkok and Panama respectively. With two Regional UNDG Teams qualifying and preparing for deployments in 2014, the UN support system for human rights mainstreaming advice is entering new territory and has demonstrated a potential for decentralizing UN system wide human rights mainstreaming advice and support to the regional level, which will be a critical element for further institutionalizing human rights mainstreaming within the UN development system architecture. Roster of Human Rights Advisers: Through the preparation of the eight country level deployments, a roster of qualified Human Rights Adviser candidates was put in place to enable a swifter deployment process in the future. Fast Track Deployment: the project has adopted a fast track deployment option to respond to urgent needs and requests from UNCTs. Rolling List of UNCTs that fulfil criteria for Human Rights Adviser Support: A rolling list of additional UNCTs fulfilling the criteria for Human Rights Adviser deployment has been established, for which positive responses had not been possible due to funding constraints during the first year of implementation. Project Title: Strengthening UN Country Team Leadership Implementing Agency(s): UNSSC, OHCHR and UNDP Amount Funded: US$ 200,000 One of the key priorities of the UNDG-HRM is to provide coherent policy support and guidance to RCs and UNCT leadership on human rights. Accordingly, this project was approved in July 2013 with the following objectives: i) to develop a comprehensive, up-to-date and practical policy guidance note addressing the needs of Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators and UN country teams leadership on human rights; and ii) to develop an institutionalized and coherent framework and approach to RCs/HCs/UNCT leadership learning in the format of a strategy/package on human rights, including new experiential and interactive learning opportunities. While the project commenced in late 2013, the following achievements were made during the reporting period: Revision of RC System guidance note on human right An inventory of policies, tools and guidance relevant to the human rights functions and responsibilities of RCs and UNCTs was undertaken by OHCHR. Specific attention was paid to identify those instruments which have come into effect since 2000, when the current human rights guidance note for the RC system was endorsed. Based on this inventory, OHCHR was able to prepare a first draft of the revised Guidance Note. During the reporting period, these and other policies were significantly strengthened through the 21 November launch of the Rights Up Front initiative, through which the Secretary-General renewed the UN s commitment to the peoples and purposes of the UN in a letter to all UN staff. Moreover, during the reporting period, the UNDG Working Group on RC System Issues (WG-RCSI) updated the RC Job Description. This update included a significant strengthening and clarification of the RC s role on human rights to adequately reflect recent policy developments on human rights, including the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy, the QCPR Operative paragraph 58 on strengthening the normative and operational linkages within the UN system, and Rights up Front. The UNDG HRM, through OHCHR and the Secretariat engaged actively in the process of updating the RC Job Description. This process resulted in delaying the drafting process of the RC Guidance to ensure the Guidance would reflect the Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 16

24 human rights functions in the newly revised RC Job Description. Thus, through this real-time alteration of the project targets, a milestone advocacy goal was achieved by end of 2013, whereupon the WG- RCSI unanimously agreed to the inclusion of the QCPR human rights provisions, the HRDDP and Rights Up Front in the RCJD. Noteworthy in this regard is a sub-section on functions relevant to the RCs responsibilities for human rights advocacy, as well as a cross-cutting responsibility to uphold and promote the UN s responsibilities with regard to preventing and responding to serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law, including the responsibilities of UN entities and staff in this regard. These and all other human rights elements were subsequently endorsed by the UNDG on 6 February Despite the delays occasioned by the HRM s need to engage with and influence this dynamic policy context, the project component on the revision of the guidance note is considered on track for the target date of UNDG-HRM endorsement by June RC leadership development strategy on human rights The full implementation of the project activity regarding the development of a RC leadership development strategy by UNSSC did not commence in the reporting period due to the delay in the development of the updated Guidance Note for RCs for the reasons mentioned in the above subsection. In the meantime, some preparatory work was undertaken including the conceptualization of a UN dialogue series on human rights and development as part of the larger learning strategy. Participating organizations were also engaged through the UNDG WG-RCSI to better integrate human rights in the new design of the RC induction programme to be held in May 2014, lessons and feedback from which will be integrated into the design of the RC learning strategy on human rights. Upon the launch of a consultation process for the draft RC guidance note in April 2014, which will be coordinated by OHCHR and UNDP, the UNSSC will be further elaborating the initial concept note and draft strategy outline. Component 3: Developing a coherent approach through enhanced collaboration among UN agencies to support the strengthening of national human rights protection systems at the request of governments C3 Strengthening National Systems Number of Projects (countries): global Current Year Funding: US$ 820,750 Total Funding: US$ 820,750 Following the first receipt of funds to the MDTF in 2012, the UNDG-HRM launched a call for proposals in late 2012 from UNCTs for country level catalytic initiatives on human rights mainstreaming (the support comprising of US$ 100,000 per project). In 2013 the UNDG-HRM Steering Committee endorsed the RMC s recommendation to approve 8 country proposals, out of 49 received that strongly met the UNDG-HRM s country support criteria. The criteria used to analyse the 49 proposals and priorities 8 included: Strengthening engagement of UNCTs and UN agencies with human rights mechanisms; Supporting the application of an HRBA to UN common programming processes, including the UNDAF; Promoting joint UN programming and advocacy for human rights ; National context or operational environment, including capacities and engagement by the government, civil society and national human rights institutions; Commitment from the RC and UNCT to advance human rights mainstreaming; Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 17

25 Added value of the UN system vis-à-vis national and international actors in addressing human rights gaps; Potential for scaling up of local and national experiences at the regional and international levels; and Commitment and plan for monitoring and evaluation of the project. Based on this analysis the countries selected for support from the UNDG-HRM Fund were: Costa Rica, Guinea Bissau, Indonesia, Myanmar, Morocco, Turkey, Uruguay and Zambia. In all cases, the UN country teams received the funds for their initiatives in July 2013; hence most projects were only at the preliminary stages of implementation at the time of reporting. Costa Rica : Construction of an Inter-Cultural Dialogue process to Promote Indigenous People s Human Rights in Southern Costa Rica This project aims to create a space of mutual trust between the government and indigenous populations and to institutionalize a dialogue between both groups to strengthen the protection and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples, as established by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO Convention No The project is a direct follow up to the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples who called for the establishment of an inter-cultural dialogue process as one way of better protecting the rights of indigenous peoples affected by the Diquis Hydroelectric Project (a project involving the building of a hydroelectric dam in the southeast of the country that will affect large sections of territories that belong to indigenous peoples). Through creating a permanent roundtable for dialogue, the project aims to achieve legislative reform to improve the enjoyment of indigenous peoples rights, a development plan for indigenous peoples, territorial security, strengthened capacities of indigenous peoples to participate in development process and heightened awareness of indigenous rights and intercultural dialogue among both government officials and indigenous populations. The inclusion of women is a particular focus of the project. The project could serve as a model across the region for the UN s role in leveraging the recommendations of human rights mechanisms and providing a forum for dialogue between marginalised groups and the government. The following outputs and activities were achieved during the reporting period: Establishing a Dialogue Roundtable between the Government and Indigenous peoples to address issues of violence in southern Costa Rica caused by conflict over land tenure. Monthly meetings of the Roundtable have been held to review progress in this area. The meetings include 14 indigenous leaders, four of which are women. The UN System and the Ombudsperson s Office are observers in the process. As input towards developing a model for consultation of indigenous peoples, including the promotion of the leadership and active participation of women and youth, with the support of ILO, two work sessions were held with international experts on the right to consultation. The National Forum of Indigenous Women, environment NGOs and representatives of public universities were included in these work sessions. Following the sessions, agreement was reached on steps for constructing a national consultation model. The first steps towards legislative and administrative policy reforms to improve protection and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples were taken. A study was carried out on the current status of legislation and the formulation of legislative proposals regarding the rights of indigenous peoples. The Government has also pledged to put forward a bill proposing a Law on the Autonomous Development of Indigenous Peoples during an extraordinary session of the legislative Assembly in April Through the Roundtable for Dialogue, agreement was also reached between the Government and Indigenous Peoples of Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 18

26 two southern districts on a decree to reform the system of Indigenous Education, which is to be signed by the Executive Power in April Skills training on conflict resolution, negotiation and participation in development planning was carried out with indigenous peoples, with a focus on strengthening the participation of women and youth. Guinea Bissau: Strengthening National Capacities to Mainstream Human Rights in Policies and Programmes The programme focuses on strengthening the capacity of the Government to implement treaty obligations, particularly through integrating human rights standards into national law, as well as strengthening awareness of human rights among the population. The following outputs and activities were achieved during the reporting period: Awareness campaign in villages in the Contuboel region on the rights of women and children: An awareness campaign on human rights, in particular the rights of women and children was held in December 2013 to address the problem of lack of access to education and healthcare for girls in the region and the practice of forced marriages. The campaign also sensitized traditional and religious leaders on human rights, particularly the right of girls to education, and gender equality. Raising Awareness among women, youth and grassroots communities of the Justice Access Centres (CAJ). Since the establishment of CAJs in September 2011, only 22% of women have accessed the centres. One of the reasons is the belief that these state courts do not protect the most vulnerable groups in society, including women and children. The other challenge has been that administrative authorizes, including the police and traditional leaders have at times tried to prevent the population from accessing a CAJ. The awareness campaign targeted administrative authorities and traditional and religious leaders, who expressed their willingness to collaborate with the CAJ and to facilitate women s access to the centres. In addition, administrative authorities, including village leaders and the police committed to complying with minimum human rights standards when resolving conflicts. A training on HRBA and Results Based Management was carried out with officials from different Ministry departments, representatives of civil society, including human rights defenders, and UN staff. As a result, participants were provided with the skills to ensure human rights were integrated into development programmes and policies and that these were linked to results. Indonesia: Applying a Human Rights Based Approach to National Development Planning The goal of the project is to support the Government of Indonesia mainstream human rights into the National Medium Term Development Plan ( ) through improving the quality and quantity of data on human rights by developing human rights based indicators as part of the M&E framework of the National Medium Term Development Plan. The main government counterpart is the State Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS). The project is only at the planning phase due to the extra time needed to build trust and ownership with the project partners, to address and clarify specific issues related to human rights. The following preparatory steps were achieved during the reporting period: A work plan and corresponding activities to be implemented were agreed to by the project steering committee, following a series of meetings. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 19

27 Agreement with BAPPENAS was reached on the scope and specific objectives of the training and agreement to hire two researchers (at least one national) was secured. The TORs for both an HRBA training for planning officials and for the researchers that will develop a thematic paper on HRBA on how to mainstream human rights into the National Development Plan were approved. One of these researchers will draft the Situation Analysis Chapter of the National Development Strategy for Morocco: Support to the Inter-Ministerial Delegation on Human Rights in Integrating Human Rights into National Policies The goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the Inter-Ministerial Delegation on Human Rights (DIDH) (a new national mechanism created to strengthen the country s progress in meeting its international human rights obligations) to support the country s progress with implementing the recommendations of the UPR, treaty bodies and Special Procedures. Specifically during the reporting period, the following results were achieved: An international seminar was held on the UPR in December, which enabled the sharing of experiences and good practices on the UPR. Through the seminar, international experiences were shared, and good practices discussed. As a result of the seminar: A network of different countries in the region is being created to support and share experiences on UPR reporting and follow up; Academic institutions and civil society were brought in for the first time as partners in the process of drafting the national UPR mid-term report, ensuring that the reporting process was genuinely participatory; The role of the different national stakeholders in preparing the UPR and the timeline for doing so has been established; The major gaps and challenges in developing the national report for the UPR were identified Myanmar: Human Rights Mainstreaming in Myanmar The goal of the project is to strengthen engagement by Myanmar with international human rights mechanisms and to mainstream human rights into national and UN development programming and policies. The following outputs and activities were achieved during the reporting period: The Myanmar UNCT established a Human Rights Theme Group (HRTG) in August 2013, cochaired by OHCHR and a resident UN agency on a rotational basis (ILO in 2013, and UNICEF in 2014), and with membership from a large number of UN agencies. The HRTG advocated with Parliament, Government, donors, and civil society and provided technical inputs into draft legislation on the registration of non-governmental associations. The HRTG discussed the Rights Up Front Action Plan and developed a strategy for implementing it within the context of Myanmar. This includes strengthening advocacy, monitoring & analysis and capacity development of staff on human rights. In terms of capacity development, a training of trainers is scheduled to take place in mid to prepare a core team of trainers on the principles of conflict sensitivity, human rights, humanitarian principles/do-no-harm, etc. The team will then travel throughout the country to provide the one-day training to over 2000 UN staff deployed across the country. The ultimate objective is to pull together a core team of staff from across the UN who can deliver training courses on human rights to support the UNCT in repositioning itself for years to come. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 20

28 The HRTG organised an human rights dialogue on Human Rights Day 2013, which brought together key speakers from state institutions, civil society and the UN to: assess the current human rights situation in the country and remaining challenges; renew the commitment among stakeholders to address the challenges in implementing human rights obligations; and propose steps to strengthen human rights protection and promotion in 2014 and beyond. This was only the second time that Human Rights Day had been commemorated in Myanmar since The HRTG has carried out a mapping of the existing human rights monitoring and response mechanisms within the UN system on Myanmar. The mapping has the following objectives: To identify existing human rights monitoring mechanisms in order to have an overview of monitoring by various agencies as per their mandates and thematic priorities. To assist the HRTG in developing coordinated human rights monitoring and referral system to enhance effectiveness and complementarity of human rights monitoring between various agencies. Turkey: Monitoring and Implementation Capacity of the Outcome Document of Universal Periodic Review The project aims to work with institutions that have the leading mandate for human rights protection in Turkey, including the Ombudsman, the National Human Rights Institute and NGOs, as well as the Government to improve the monitoring and follow up of UPR recommendations. During 2013 the programme focused on raising awareness and knowledge among national stakeholders and UN staff on the international human rights framework and mechanisms, particularly the UPR. The following outputs and activities were achieved during the reporting period: A UN Thematic Group on Human Rights was established to coordinate and strengthen human rights mainstreaming in the UNCT s work, as well as engagement with human rights mechanisms; A review and analysis of the country s progress in meeting its international human rights obligations was carried out. The analysis helped raise awareness among national stakeholders on the international human rights framework and mechanisms and Turkey s corresponding obligations; Agreement was reached to establish consultative platforms at the local and national levels to support the drafting of shadow reports and UN contributions as part of the UPR process; Training was carried out with UN staff to raise their awareness of the international human rights mechanisms, in particular the UPR. Uruguay: Support to the Consolidation of the Reform of the Penitentiary System and the Protection of Human Rights of People Deprived of Liberty, with an Emphasis on Adolescents, Women and Children The current initiative aims to consolidate previous achievements in the field of prison reform and treatment of persons deprived of liberty, developing specific interventions in strategic and key areas. It takes into account the preliminary findings of the UN Special Rapporteur Mr. Juan Mendez and the recommendations of the international human rights machinery, specifically the outputs of the Universal Periodic Review and the Treaty Bodies recommendations and observations. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 21

29 During the reporting period, counterparts of the project met to precisely define products, activities and participants, following which the implementation phase began. The following results were achieved during the reporting period against the stated outputs outlined below: Output 1: Technical inputs for the design and implementation of a monitoring and rehabilitation system for adolescents who are under the juvenile justice system elaborated. Meetings were held, with the participation of the National Human Rights Institution, UNDP and UNICEF to Training of penitentiary operators in human rights define the first steps towards the creation of the National Prevention Mechanism against Torture (NPM), aligned with the disposition of the Optional Protocol of the Convention Against Torture (CAT). A plan of action was drafted for the implementation of a diagnosis of the rehabilitation centers of the juvenile justice system that will provide the baseline for the adolescent chapter of NPM. The National Human Rights Institution installed a technical working group with four professionals, funded by UNICEF, that are preparing the baseline for the creation of a National Torture Prevention Mechanism, visiting all juvenile centers under the mandate of the Juvenile Justice System, managed by the INAU (National Institution for Adolescents and Children) and in charge of drafting the future Protocol Visit documentation. A total amount of 20 centers will be monitored and visited, some of them, due to the magnitude of the population they have, will be visited more than once. Output 2: Analyses concerning the situation and context of women in prison, as an input for specific public policies elaborated. A study of the situation of women in prison was carried out with the aim of identifying loopholes that needed to be addressed through the project. Authorities in charge of the penitentiary centers for women were interviewed as part of a study on all imprisoned women with children in the metropolitan area. Output 3: Guidelines for social work with women deprived of liberty that have children implemented. Through a series of meetings with the staff of the National Rehabilitation Center, the most vulnerable regions were identified, which will be studies as part of a strategy to implement innovative policies on social work for women in this context. Visits to two penitentiary centers were carried out, which clarified the need to study the circumstances, regulations and social risks involved in the visits of the imprisoned women by relatives. A set of questions for authorities in this area were identified for the study. Output 4: Decision makers, political system and legislators sensitized, with technical inputs concerning the penal process code reform. Exchanges were held with the General Prosecutor of the Nation, Jorge Diaz, where the need to sensitize the police corps in the new role they should take on if the Penal Process Code is renewed was agreed. The Penal Process Code is currently under review by Parliament. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 22

30 Output 5: Penitentiary operators trained on human rights and technical inputs designed for a practical training module. Working meetings were held with the Penitentiary School of the Ministry of Interior to define a strategy on human rights education in penitentiary centers. As a result, the types of training modules needed were defined. A workshop on Human Rights and prison management was held in the Penitentiary School with the participation of 50 middle rank penitentiary operators and security personnel. Stories from the Field Output 6: Actions in order to prevent and eradicate corruption in penitentiary centers designed and implemented. UNODC drafted a proposal for an Ethical Code against penitentiary corruption. The draft proposal is currently under review by the project partners. Zambia: One UN Zambia Human Rights Mainstreaming The One UN Zambia human rights mainstreaming initiative aims to ensure vibrant public dialogue and awareness of the centrality of human rights in development with a focus on the Post 2015 agenda and the MDG campaign; develop skills of national partners on applying HRBA; and achieve a common UN approach to human rights mainstreaming for UNDAF and joint programming in the Delivering as One context. The following outputs and activities were achieved during the reporting period: In 2013, the awareness of the centrality of human rights in development was enhanced through a series of cross-country consultations (42), including through interviews with traditional leaders, young people and other vulnerable groups, such as elderly citizens and persons with disabilities, where the importance of human rights was emphasised. Public events depicting and exposing the challenges and gaps in the human rights programmes in Zambia, including disabilities rights were held whereby communities were engaged in discussing the issues openly with their government counterparts. In collaboration with the Zambia Human Rights Commission, the UN organised a series of events to commemorate International Human Rights Day. During the main event of the day, the main institutions that promote human rights in Zambia- Land Tribunal, Zambia Police Victim Support Unit, Police Public Complaints Authority, Judicial Complaints Authority, Lusaka City Council, Anti-Corruption Commission, Young Women Christian Association, Legal Resources Foundation, and the Prisons Care and Counselling Association, were present. This helped raise awareness among the population of the role of these mechanisms and offered an opportunity for people to complain about the various violations they were experiencing in their communities. To ensure the effective mainstreaming of human rights in the UNDAF for Zambia under the Delivering as One context, human rights were mainstreamed in the 2013 Joint work-plans. As part of this process, checklists were developed to ensure work plans reflected recommendations from international human rights mechanisms and key human rights principles, such as participation, non-discrimination and accountability. Second (2013) Consolidated Annual Progress Report of the UNDG HRM Fund 23