A/HRC/10/31 page 3 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council decision 2/102, and should also be read in the context of my report submitted to the General Assembly (A/63/36). It comes at the end of the institution-building and consolidation period of the Council. II. SUPPORT FOR THE WORK OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AND THE EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF ITS MECHANISMS 2. Over the past year, Member States have expressed the need for greater interaction and consultations by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with the Council. Since assuming the office as High Commissioner for Human Rights in September 2008, I have taken steps to acquaint myself with the relationship of the General Assembly and Council vis-à-vis the Office. All three institutions have their respective authority and mandates, and their levels of autonomy and independence must be respected. I believe that transparency and cooperation should be the hallmarks of the support provided by OHCHR to the Council. I intend to continue to enhance periodic briefings with all delegations. 3. As a part of the United Nations Secretariat, the Office is subject to the United Nations intergovernmental system of oversight for Secretariat programmes. In accordance with the United Nations Financial Regulations and Rules, OHCHR contributes to the Strategic Framework, which represents the Secretariat-wide biennium programme plan. The Framework is prepared by the Secretariat under the overall authority of the Secretary-General, and reviewed by the Committee for Programme and Coordination, before being submitted for approval to the General Assembly. As such, it forms the basis for the approval of the OHCHR budget by the General Assembly. My predecessor, when presenting her annual report to the Council at its seventh session, committed herself, on a voluntary basis, to sharing with all Member States the contribution of OHCHR to the Strategic Framework, for comments to be conveyed to the New York-based governing bodies for their consideration. Although my predecessor stated that this should not serve as a precedent, I intend to follow this practice. 4. The Strategic Framework is not to be confused with the Strategic Management Plan, previously known as the Office Annual Appeal, which is a results-based management tool. The Plan builds on the Strategic Framework and focuses its implementation to enhance office-wide coordination, thereby ensuring the best possible utilization of the available extra-budgetary and regular budget resources. To fully inform Member States of both elements of OHCHR funding and expenditure, regular and extra-budgetary, the Plan is made public. I am committed to pursuing a cooperative and transparent approach with all Member States. In this spirit, I intend to arrange periodic gatherings for the purpose of sharing information with all delegations. I also consider it appropriate for the High Commissioner to make suggestions or recommendations to the Council on issues of common concern. A. Universal periodic review 5. The establishment of the universal periodic review has led to the reinforcing of the level of cooperation between States, the Human Rights Council and United Nations human rights mechanisms. As the experience of the review of the first 48 States in April, May and December