A/HRC/23/29 the Vienna Conference. Women, girls, boys, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, representatives of minorities and migrants testified about their experience, and their concerns were reflected in the Declaration and Programme of Action. The World Conference on Human Rights provided a venue where human rights challenges could be identified and solutions put forward. However, much remained to be done. 11. The High Commissioner highlighted the importance of the participation of civil society for the work of the United Nations, and noted that the VDPA recognized the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the promotion of human rights at national, regional and international levels and in the implementation of human rights instruments. The United Nations could not attain its lofty objectives without the participation of those it was supposed to serve. She insisted that it was only by listening to their concerns that we could ensure that our action was grounded in the real lives of real people. In that context, she recalled that a major challenge faced by the Council, and the United Nations as a whole, was the fact that sometimes members of civil society were victims of reprisals or intimidation for bringing their concerns to our forums. She encouraged all participants to continue their endeavours to address these unacceptable practices. C. State Secretary for European and International Affairs of Austria 12. The State Secretary for European and International Affairs of Austria, Mr. Reinhold Lopatka, stated that in June 1993 more than 7,000 participants, from 171 Governments and more than 800 NGOs gathered in Vienna for the largest conference on human rights with the goal of drafting a common platform for the protection and promotion of human rights, which was achieved through the adoption of the VDPA. 13. Mr. Lopatka highlighted the fact that the panel discussion was a unique opportunity to take stock and to analyse the achievements of the Vienna Conference, to identify human rights challenges, and to strengthen the institutions and mechanisms for improving the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. He identified three major achievements of the Conference: (a) the establishment and outstanding performance of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; (b) the continued expansion of the United Nations treaty body system; and (c) the growth of the number and impact of the special rapporteurs and other special procedures. However, he recognized that, despite this progress, victims of violations continued to call for justice and compensation, and the resources for the protection of human rights remained insufficient. For example, whilst the protection of human rights constituted the third pillar of the United Nations, it received less than 3 per cent of the United Nations budget. 14. Mr. Lopatka posed the following questions: (a) How can the High Commissioner and her Office be strengthened? (b) How can the necessary resources be mobilized? (c) What is the role of other actors such as national human rights institutions, NGOs and civil society? (d) How can it be ensured that justice for victims of human rights violations prevails at national and international levels? In closing, Mr. Lopatka announced that the Austrian Government was organizing a high-level expert conference in Vienna from 27 to 28 June to assess developments over the previous twenty years and formulate commitments in the struggle to improve the human rights of all persons. D. Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation 15. The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Mr. Gennady Gatilo, stated that the results of the Vienna Conference defined an era. He added that the Vienna documents enshrined standards that we all needed to strive to achieve, and that it was not by chance that the VDPA was a distinct item on the agenda of the Human Rights Council. 5