FUNDING Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to Support the Participation of Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States in the work of the Human Rights Council The Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to Support the Participation of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the work of the Human Rights Council was established under HRC resolution 19/26, in 2012. The Fund became operational in 2014. The objective of the Fund is to enhance the institutional and human rights capacities of LDCs and SIDS through targeted training courses and travel assistance for delegates attending regular Council sessions and fellowship programmes. In 2019, the Trust Fund received US$648,991 in voluntary contributions compared to US$1,194,314 in 2018. In 2019, 17 countries, including one new donor, contributed to the Trust Fund (there were only three in 2015). Since it became operational in 2014, the Trust Fund has provided support to 143 delegates and fellows, including 89 women, from 71 of the 72 eligible LDCs/SIDS. In 2019, the Trust Fund provided support to 33 delegates from 32 LDCs/SIDS (13 from Africa, 12 from Asia and the Pacific and seven from the Caribbean and Latin America). Among the 33 delegates and fellows, 23 were women. Nine of them represented SIDS that do not have permanent representation in Geneva, namely, Dominica, Grenada, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa and Suriname, while two of them represented SIDS that opened permanent missions in Geneva during the reporting period, namely, Marshall Islands and Nauru.4 For all delegates, it was their first time attending a regular session of the Council. They were able to fully participate in and contribute to the discussions and delivered a total of 112 statements (89 in their national capacities and 23 joint statements). In 2019, the Trust Fund continued to follow up with Caribbean Member States on the action points of the Georgetown Declaration Towards 2022. Approximately 60 per cent of the action points have been implemented by the end of 2019. In May, the Trust Fund held consultations in New York with the Caucus of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Pacific Small Islands Developing States and other interested stakeholders, including UN partners and donor and beneficiary countries. Furthermore, on 16 September, the General Assembly adopted, by consensus, a resolution on “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Caribbean Community,” calling for continued cooperation between CARICOM and UN Human Rights through the LDCs/ SIDS Trust Fund and the HRC. 4  he Trust Fund has supported the participation of nine T delegates from these two SIDS since 2016 and strongly advocated for the establishment of permanent missions in Geneva. Marshall Islands was elected to the HRC in October (2020-2022). UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2019 119