ANNEX II: ACHIEVEMENT OF TARGETS FOR GLOBAL EXPECTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND LESSONS LEARNED OVER 2014-2017 Technical support for capacity-building is also another strategy that the Office employs to increase the compliance of NHRIs and governments with international human rights standards. As identified during the evaluation of the support that UN Human Rights provided to NHRIs, technical support includes the use of tools and methodologies developed by the Office, especially human rights indicators. The information collected by UN Human Rights in the course of its human rights monitoring activities is also used to support advocacy efforts and needs assessments that in turn enable the development of appropriate capacity-building initiatives for local stakeholders. Protections systems and accountability mechanisms UN Human Rights seeks to ensure the functioning and compliance with international human rights standards of protection systems and accountability mechanisms that monitor, investigate and redress human rights violations. Field presences are key to ensuring that UN Human Rights is able to contribute to the establishment and operation of these systems and mechanisms at the national level. The evaluations of regional and country programmes that were conducted during the cycle indicated that mapping processes and a clear understanding of the unique needs on the ground are essential for building the capacity of local stakeholders to effectively engage with the international human rights mechanisms. The same evaluations further noted that close cooperation with local governments, NHRIs, civil society organizations and other stakeholders through advocacy, capacity-building and technical advice improves the effectiveness of field work and contributes to the national ownership and sustainability of human rights protection systems and accountability mechanisms. Participation UN Human Rights assists rights-holders to claim their rights by supporting their use of national protection systems and participation in public processes. The evaluations of the support provided by the Office to NHRIs and of various regional and country programmes underlined the importance of the technical advice and capacity-building assistance that UN Human Rights offers to local stakeholders. This takes the form of elaborating human rights tools and methodologies, teaching skills for human rights monitoring, protection and advocacy, and establishing networks of victims, beneficiaries and other rights-holders. Engagement of Member States with international human rights mechanisms At the international level, UN Human Rights seeks to ensure that duty-bearers uphold their human rights obligations by supporting the engagement of States with international human rights mechanisms. As highlighted in the OIOS evaluation of UN Human Rights and the internal evaluations of field presences, the engagement of Member States with international human rights mechanisms enables UN Human Rights to better support countries in fulfilling their commitments and strengthening their accountability. The evaluations of regional and country programmes concluded that a crucial element of this support is the identification of strategies that will ensure that follow-up to these commitments is integrated into the Office’s country or regional work plans. Engagement by the international community UN Human Rights promotes the active involvement of international actors in human rights activities by encouraging their increased responsiveness to critical human rights situations and issues. As noted in the study conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a large field presence and the ongoing outreach activities of the human rights components in United Nations peacekeeping operations provide multiple opportunities for human rights staff to play a critical role in early warning initiatives and interventions for the protection of civilians. These efforts can be significantly strengthened through the use of human rights-related data that they have collected. Human rights integrated into UN policies and programmes The evaluation of programmes supported by human rights advisers and others that were based in field presences noted that engagement with UN entities and United Nations Country Teams, including through the sharing of information and strengthened communication and coordination, significantly increased their knowledge about international human rights standards and mechanisms. This engagement during the reporting period ensured that the staff of UN agencies had the capacity to fully implement a human rights-based approach and the Human Rights up Front Initiative. UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2017 159