FUNDING Contingency Fund The Contingency Fund is a flexible funding mechanism that was established in 2006, to carry out activities and implement the priorities and strategies of the High Commissioner, particularly in response to human rights emergencies. This was achieved primarily by the rapid deployment of human rights personnel and the provision of necessary logistical support. The Fund, which is financed through voluntary contributions, aims to maintain approximately US$1 million at all times. Cash advances are withdrawn from the Fund to enable the implementation of rapid response activities without administrative delays. When subsequent funding is received from other sources, the Fund is reimbursed. Since the inception of the Fund, the capacity of UN Human Rights to provide conceptual and operational support to unforeseen mandates or situations requiring rapid response has significantly increased. In 2018, the Contingency Fund facilitated rapid deployments and other expenses associated with emergency response. An internal rapid deployment roster composed of 195 members (107 women and 88 men), was activated for 10 emergency response missions. A total of 22 staff members (15 women, seven men), including 17 staff members from the internal roster, were selected based on their experience and expertise and were deployed to conduct human rights monitoring and other missions. These missions included deployments to: Bangladesh to monitor the situation of the Rohingya population; Haiti to assist the Human Rights Component in its establishment in MINUJUSTH; Nicaragua to monitor human rights violations related to demonstrations; Congo to assist the Government 112 UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 FUNDING with the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission; Lebanon to participate in the human rights monitoring activities of the UN Human Rights Syria monitoring team; Cameroon to collect and analyse information on human rights issues pertaining to the electoral process; Mexico and Guatemala to conduct a human rights assessment on the situation of migrants and asylum seekers, with particular attention paid to the situation of women and children; Ethiopia to monitor and report on the human rights situation in three regions (Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region and Somali); and Sri Lanka to support the Human Rights Adviser to evaluate the human rights situation, with particular attention paid to the situation of victims, human rights defenders, journalists and civil society activists. Reports on the human rights situation were produced at the end of all deployments. In 2018, the Fund received contributions and pledges amounting to US$108,072. As of 31 December 2018, the remaining balance of US$221,009 was significantly below the target of maintaining a reserve of US$1 million at all times thus undermining the capacity of UN Human Rights to implement rapid response deployments. CONTINGENCY FUND VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS IN 2018 Donor US$ France 58,072 Republic of Korea 50,000 TOTAL 108,072 HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SOCIAL FORUM 2018: SPORTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS Ms. Rose Nathike Lokonyen, a track and field athlete on the first Refugee Olympic Team, was one of the participants in the 2018 Human Rights Council Social Forum, which “focused on the possibilities of using sport and the Olympic ideal to promote human rights for all and to strengthen universal respect for them” (A/HRC/ RES/35/28, para.5). Her participation was supported by the Special Fund for the Participation of Civil Society in the Social Forum, the Forum on Minority Issues and the Forum on Business and Human Rights. She was one of the keynote speakers in the opening panel of the Social Forum, alongside high-level representatives of the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees and the 2020 FIFA World Cup. Rose shared her personal experiences since fleeing her village in South Sudan after an armed attack in 2002, when she was 10 years old. With her family, she hid in the bushes for several days to survive. She sought refuge in the Kakuma Camp in Kenya and looked after two of her younger siblings in the following years. When she was 15 years old, she took part in a 10-kilometre race in the camp. It was her first time running, and with no training, she performed with excellence and earned the opportunity to join a professional athletic training camp in Kenya. According to her, sport was not only a means to earn a living, it was a way to inspire others. Rose called upon all to continue to protect refugees and promote peace. She sent a powerful message of hope to refugees, reminding them to continue to work hard to realize their dreams. Special Fund for the Participation of Civil Society in the Social Forum, the Forum on Minority Issues and the Forum on Business and Human Rights The Special Fund for the Participation of Civil Society in the Social Forum, the Forum on Minority Issues and the Forum on Business and Human Rights was created by Human Rights Council decision 24/118 of 27 September 2013. The aim of the Fund is to facilitate the broadest possible participation of civil society representatives and other relevant stakeholders in the annual meetings of the three fora. In 2018, the Special Fund received US$50,000 in new contributions. The Eleventh Forum on Minority Issues, held from 29-30 November 2018, in Geneva, brought together 600 participants to engage in discussions focused on producing concrete recommendations on statelessness as a human rights issue that disproportionately affects minorities around the world. The Special Fund was used to facilitate the participation of two people from Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. The Seventh Forum on Business and Human Rights, the world’s largest annual gathering on business and human rights, took place from 26-28 November, in Geneva, with the attendance of more than 2,700 participants from governments, businesses, community groups and civil society, law firms, investor organizations, UN bodies, NHRIs, trade unions, academia and the media. Over three days, more than 70 substantive sessions and a series of snapshot presentations explored trends, challenges and progress in advancing the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in all regions of the world. The Forum focused on the second pillar of the Guiding Principles, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, under the theme Business respect for human rights: Building on what works. The Special Fund facilitated the participation of five participants. Each year, the Social Forum, which is convened by the Human Rights Council, provides a unique space for open and interactive dialogue between civil society actors, representatives of Member States and intergovernmental organizations on a particular theme that is chosen by the Council. The theme of the 2018 session was the use of sport and the Olympic ideal to promote human rights for all and to strengthen universal respect for human rights. The Special Fund facilitated the participation of five people from Colombia (a person with disabilities and his assistant), Pakistan, the Russian Federation and South Africa. SPECIAL FUND FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE SOCIAL FORUM, THE FORUM ON MINORITY ISSUES AND THE FORUM ON BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS IN 2018 Donor US$ Russian Federation 50,000 TOTAL 50,000 UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2018 113