A/HRC/40/78 was very pleased to learn how partners greatly relied on OHCHR expertise and advice, for example when strengthening their national protection systems. Particularly relevant was the efficient OHCHR strategy aimed at enhancing the capacities of the United Nations country teams in the region to better support national efforts for the promotion and protection of human rights. 40. OHCHR is regarded by partners in the region as a key reference organization when legal advice on legislation is required, ensuring alignment with international standards, or when developing statutory frameworks for the establishment and strengthening of national protection systems and institutions. The Board learned about the technical support provided by OHCHR in Paraguay on the bill on minimum wages for domestic workers and in Ecuador regarding the legislation establishing the Office of the Ombudsman. Ongoing projects are also aimed at supporting the regulation of the legal capacity of persons with disabilities in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Peru and on the constitutional recognition of people of African descent in Chile. 41. OHCHR is also approached to provide direction on the human rights dimensions of numerous thematic areas, for example regarding economic, social and cultural rights, including access to land and the enjoyment of the right to education, the situation of the rights of persons with disabilities, the rights of elderly persons, and women’s rights and gender equality in regard to the prevention and investigation of femicide. It has provided technical advice on the efforts to establish an independent mechanism for the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities in Paraguay and on standards for migration laws and the rights of indigenous peoples in Chile. 42. The Board was very pleased to note that women’s rights and gender inclusiveness were fully integrated in all OHCHR programmes in the region through the leadership of the Regional Office and also through the network of its human rights advisers. For example, the Board was very interested in and appreciated the technical support being provided in the region to national efforts to address the impact of stereotyping in cases of gender-based violence. 43. The Board observed once again how the thematic technical expertise and policy advice provided by the Women’s Human Rights and Gender Section at headquarters, the regional gender adviser and the experts in the Regional Office for South America work in a complementary way to maximize the use of the scarce available resources around a key priority issue. For example, in June 2018 the Regional Office, together with the women’s office of the court of justice of Salta, Argentina, and the magistrate’s school in Argentina organized a workshop with judges in the region to promote and strengthen the role that the judiciary in Salta could play in defending women’s rights by addressing harmful gender stereotypes, reflecting on the impact of stereotyping in cases of gender-based violence, sexual rights and reproductive health. In coordination with the United Nations country team and the Centre for Judicial Studies of Uruguay, OHCHR also supported the organization of a seminar with judges addressing judicial gender stereotyping. Twenty-five judges from around the country discussed how the judiciary could address harmful stereotypes in relation to cases of gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health and rights, in order to more effectively defend and fulfil women’s rights in the context of the implementation of the newly approved law on gender-based violence. The exchanges of good practices, as facilitated by OHCHR, as well as the technical advice within the international human rights framework were highlighted as a key means of promoting and replicating efforts to address gender stereotyping. 44. The Board also learned about the different avenues of engagement with the authorities in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The Board was informed that neither the Regional Office for South America nor the High Commissioner had been granted access to the country since 2014. In June 2017, in the light of reports of serious human rights violations committed in the context of anti-government protests, OHCHR strengthened its capacity to monitor and report on the situation. It continues to follow the situation closely and is exploring avenues for cooperation. 45. During its discussions with the Resident Coordinators for Chile and Uruguay and other representatives of the United Nations in the region, the Board discussed cooperation 9