UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD To evaluate the various challenges facing the region, OHCHR carried out field/assessment missions, including to Armenia (on human rights aspects of mass protests), Austria (on migration with a focus on the return of migrants), France (on non-discrimination, the right to housing and related human rights of Roma), Hungary and Poland (on civic space, the rule of law and migration) and Moldova and Ukraine (on the overall assessment of OHCHR’s in-country presence, with a focus on early warning, human rights in conflict resolution and civic space). Through direct engagement and communication with Member States, remote monitoring and public advocacy, the Office identified early warning signs of potential human rights violations and crises and encouraged the development and implementation of recommendations to address such situations. The Office also pursued a programmatic focus on providing advisory services, technical cooperation, training and capacity-building and other requested assistance for Governments, national human rights institutions, the judiciary, lawyers, parliamentarians, civil society and UNCTs in their engagement with and follow-up to reviews undertaken by the international human rights mechanisms. 280 UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD The Office ensured the full implementation of relevant Human Rights Council and General Assembly mandates, including through support provided to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus; the drafting of annual reports to the Human Rights Council on the question of human rights in Cyprus and on cooperation with Georgia; and the provision of support for presentations of four quarterly reports and two thematic reports on Ukraine through an interactive dialogue with the Human Rights Council. The Office also supported remote monitoring of the human rights situation in Turkey and published a report, in March, on the human rights impact of the state of emergency. BELARUS Population size1 Surface area1 Human Development Index2 NHRI (if applicable)3 9.45 million 208,000 km² 0.808 (rank: 54/188 in 2016) Type of engagement Human Rights Adviser Year established 2018 Field office(s) Minsk UN partnership framework United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2016-2020 Staff as of 31 December 2018 1 XB requirements 2018 US$240,200 Key OMP pillars in 2018 123 During the reporting period, OHCHR organized, provided substantive inputs for and/or participated in missions of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to Austria and Slovenia, as well as visits to Bern, Brussels, New York and Paris. The Office was similarly involved in other senior level missions, including visits of the Deputy High Commissioner to Brussels, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden; the Assistant Secretary-General to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan; and other senior managers to Austria, Belgium, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. In the context of protracted conflicts in Europe, OHCHR conducted visits to disputed territories in order to directly engage with de facto authorities, rights-holders, de facto Ombudspersons and civil society. Of particular note, Mr. Thomas Hammarberg, UN Senior Expert on Human Rights in Transnistria, prepared a report on the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region, based on his latest visit in 2018. This was a follow-up to his initial report issued in 2013. Please refer to Data sources and notes on p.191. KEY PILLAR RESULTS: Mechanisms (M) M1 – A National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up (NMRF) is existing and working to a substantial extent. OHCHR supported integrated reporting and the implementation of outstanding recommendations issued by the treaty bodies, the special procedures, the Human Rights Council and the UPR by building the capacity of State officials to report to the treaty bodies and by raising awareness about the international human rights mechanisms across various stakeholder groups. Following the deployment of the Human Rights Adviser to the Republic of Belarus in July, a seminar was organized by the Office, in September, which increased the capacity of 30 State officials, of which 20 were women, from different line ministries to report to the treaty bodies and undertake human rights assessments. The seminar enhanced the understanding of participants on how to prepare State Party reports, including the upcoming report to CRPD. It also provided practical knowledge about the review process in Geneva and establishment of a NMRF. on violence against children and meetings between UNCT members and mothers of children and youth in prison for drug use. The HRA also ensured that a broader range of civil society groups was invited to Government consultations and meetings. Participation (P) P6 – The voice of people affected by decisions, particularly victims and those who face discrimination, is more clearly heard. During the reporting period, the Office consistently advocated for meetings between civil society, including victims of human rights abuses, and relevant parts of Government and the UN system, thereby ensuring the voices of victims were heard. For example, the Office supported a civil society meeting with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 281