A/HRC/41/29 12. Proposals by field presences for Voluntary Fund resources have to be backed by proof of State requests or consent. Not only is this the minimum requirement, this principle also enhances national ownership. National ownership reflects the spirit of the review (in which the primary responsibility to implement the universal periodic review recommendations rests with the State) and the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, and is an essential factor for success of any cooperation. Accordingly, Governments should be the initiators or co-initiators of requests for Voluntary Fund resources, with OHCHR being a source of expertise and support. 13. In order to increase objectivity in considering suggested projects for Voluntary Fund support, OHCHR has based its funding decisions on five criteria, which are also based on the terms of reference of the Voluntary Fund. The underlying principles are the devotion of resources to support the most pressing thematic human rights issues in the State and the building of national capacities for implementation that are efficient and sustainable, in line with the vision outlined by the Secretary-General in his report on strengthening United Nations action in the field of human rights through the promotion of international cooperation and the importance of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity (A/72/351). The list is not restrictive, however, and proposals for other types of projects focusing on universal periodic review implementation, based on consultations with, or the consent of, the country concerned have also been encouraged. Promotion and implementation of key universal periodic review recommendations 14. Recommendations resulting from the universal periodic review process have grown in number from a few dozen for the first countries undergoing reviews to some two hundred recommendations per country on average in the third cycle. This evidently poses serious challenges to the State in terms of implementation, taking into account the accumulation of universal periodic review recommendations over time and in light of other implementation requirements, such as those relating to recommendations from treaty bodies, special procedures and regional human rights mechanisms. 15. The support from the Voluntary Fund that is available for implementation efforts will therefore need to be focused on key universal periodic review recommendations, so that such support can make a significant and lasting contribution to national change. In order to determine whether Voluntary Fund resources should be spent on a proposal for the implementation of specific universal periodic review recommendations, the following questions are relevant: (a) Do the recommendations targeted in the proposal reflect significant human rights gaps at the country level? (b) Have the treaty bodies and special procedure mandate holders flagged the thematic issue in question? (c) Do the recommendations targeted in the proposal correspond to the areas flagged by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the letter sent following the review? (d) Will implementation of the proposal contribute to strengthening the national human rights protection system and changes in laws and in practice? (e) Will implementation of the proposal contribute to the better alignment of human rights and development efforts with the Sustainable Development Goal targets and indicators? Strengthening the capacity of United Nations country teams 16. In addition to direct support for implementation of the recommendations stemming from universal periodic reviews by OHCHR field presences, another modality is the integration of support in United Nations country team programming on follow-up, in response to a government request for such assistance. Through the leadership of the United Nations resident coordinators, accepted universal periodic review recommendations could be increasingly reflected in common country assessments or United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks and in the planning and programming documents of individual 4