UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD the national level across the region. In Kazakhstan, advocacy efforts continued to focus on the need to substantially strengthen the Ombudsperson Institution. In Kyrgyzstan, a strong working relationship between the Office and the Ombudsperson culminated in a joint event on the occasion of Human Rights Day (10 December) with the participation of the President. In Uzbekistan, a joint capacity assessment was undertaken with UNDP and the Asia Pacific Forum, which contributed to the identification of capacity needs of the Office of the Ombudsperson in Uzbekistan. After the public launch of the capacity assessment report in early 2019, the Ombudsperson plans to develop a detailed road map to implement recommendations aimed at facilitating its compliance with the Paris Principles. Mechanisms (M) M1 – National Mechanisms for Reporting and Follow-up (NMRFs) successfully fulfil their mandates; they engage with international human rights mechanisms, and coordinate reporting and follow-up, and to that end consult relevant national actors and share information with them and with the public. The Office contributed to strengthening NMRFs in relation to the recommendations issued by the treaty bodies, special procedures, Human Rights Council and the UPR. All five Central Asian countries have fully operational NMRFs and national human rights focal points that are responsible for co-ordinating, drafting and/or compiling information for State reporting and follow-up in relation to the international human rights mechanisms. In view of the reporting cycle of countries in the region and the specific needs of their 284 UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 UN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FIELD NMRFs, seven trainings were organized by OHCHR in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The objective of the trainings was to help the national teams overcome late reporting issues and/or improve the quality of their State reports. In Tajikistan, OHCHR’s technical support on alternative reporting to CEDAW resulted in the submission of several NGO shadow reports. The Office also provided technical assistance on engagement with the UN human rights mechanisms and alternative reporting to NGOs in Kazakhstan and the Ombudsperson’s Institute in Kyrgyzstan. M3 – Policymakers, legislators and judges more frequently reference and apply the recommendations of international human rights mechanisms. With OHCHR technical support, the level of compliance of legislation/policy with international human rights norms and standards has improved. A series of compendiums of the recommendations issued by the UN human rights mechanisms that were compiled in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan became the basis for a draft National Human Rights Action Plan and a National Human Rights Strategy respectively. These draft documents were elaborated with the help of the Office and other UN agencies, international organizations and CSOs. It is anticipated that they will be adopted in 2019. The Office provided technical support to the drafting of National Action Plans on the implementation of CAT, CRC and CERD recommendations in Tajikistan and advocated for a National Action Plan on the implementation of the Istanbul Protocol in Kyrgyzstan, which is pending approval. Development (D) D7 – When they implement the SDGs and other development plans, more Central Asian States and UN Country Teams adopt a human rights-based approach and the recommendations of human rights mechanisms. the Governments were trained on how to pay specific attention to human rights indicators while creating linkages between human rights and monitoring mechanisms and the implementation of the SDGs. Participation (P) The Office contributed to the satisfactory integration of international human rights norms, standards and principles and recommendations issued by the international human rights mechanisms into the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs) in Central Asia. P1 – Civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and marginalized groups increasingly claim their rights and promote the rights of their constituencies, and can participate more freely in public life. In all countries of the region, human rights standards provided the impetus for ensuring that a human rights-based approach (HRBA) was applied to the collection, analysis and dissemination of data and to the elaboration of relevant human rights indicators and their inclusion into national human rights strategies. The disaggregation of quality data remained one of the primary challenges in the region, as was a lack of inclusiveness in its collection, monitoring and evaluation. The use of national protection systems in compliance with international human rights norms and standards by supporting civil society actors to claim the rights of their constituencies has increased. Technical guidance was provided to the UNCTs in Central Asian countries on integrating human rights standards into UN programming, including through information sessions on the application of a HRBA to data, in the creation of development programming and in relation to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The skills and capacities of NMRFs and national human rights focal points to make linkages between the implementation of SDG targets and the recommendations issued by the international human rights mechanisms were enhanced during seven capacity-building activities. These training activities focused on the convergence between human rights and the 2030 Agenda and were held in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, In Kyrgyzstan, a long-term capacity-development programme for nearly 100 civil society activists and human rights lawyers on non-discrimination and human rights in the context of preventing violent extremism was launched and will continue in 2019. To address the low levels of ethnic minority representation in the offices of State authorities, a youth employment scheme was established, with support from OHCHR, thereby enabling 30 youth (with more than 50 per cent being ethnic minorities) to gain work experience in State institutions. In Tajikistan, advocacy undertaken by the Office and the international community against the curtailment of the freedom of expression led the Government to revoke alleged trumped up charges in an emblematic case involving the conviction of a journalist. OHCHR and civil society partners organized one of the largest gatherings of human rights defenders of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan, in May, that included the participation of the Assistant SecretaryGeneral for Human Rights. The event provided a platform to discuss current security developments and challenges for defenders, including on reprisals for cooperation with the United Nations. The event also provided a unique opportunity for Uzbekistani human rights defenders to connect with the wider human rights defenders’ community in the region. In Kazakhstan, nearly 100 human rights activists were trained on exercising the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, with a specific focus on practical application in Kazakhstan. A series of regional consultations was initiated, which brought together local authorities and civil society actors – for the first time – to discuss issues related to the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association on a national and regional level. Shifts: Civic Space UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 285