A/HRC/37/19 7. A total of 37 applications were received, concerning 12 eligible States (Argentina, Armenia, Benin, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Paraguay, Republic of Moldova, and Senegal). In accordance with the guidelines for applications, the secretariat of the Special Fund conducted an extensive evaluation of the project proposals received within the deadline, in consultation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) field and regional offices and with the country rapporteurs of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture. The Subcommittee’s working group on the Special Fund and on capacity-building reviewed the substantive part of the project proposals and recommended 11 projects for grants, during its session in June. Following review by the OHCHR Grants Committee, 11 grants were awarded to projects aimed at implementing Subcommittee recommendations focusing on the establishment or strengthening of national preventive mechanisms in nine eligible States (Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Ecuador, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Republic of Moldova, and Senegal), for a total of $273,096.00 (see annex). 8. Since its first call for applications for projects to be implemented in 2012, the Fund has supported a variety of technical cooperation projects in 13 countries worldwide. These projects have resulted in legislative changes — such as bringing countries’ laws into accordance with international human rights standards on torture prevention (including the revision of codes of criminal procedure, prison acts, and laws prohibiting abusive body search for persons deprived of their liberty), as well as laws seeking to establish national preventive mechanisms on torture; institutional changes — such as establishing or strengthening the effective functioning of national preventive mechanisms on torture or other relevant institutions, and establishing registers of detainees and so on; operational changes — due to enhanced knowledge and skills of the judiciary and of law enforcement and medical personnel; and changes in people’s lives — including, in one case, a reported decrease of violence against children in detention facilities. The projects also contributed to increased awareness by persons deprived of their liberty of their rights, through the development and dissemination of manuals. Through its projects, the Fund has engaged with more than 2,000 people and national entities, including national preventive mechanisms, ministries of the interior and justice, ombudsman institutions, hospitals, prisons, the police and civil society actors. 1 9. The projects have addressed real gaps and needs in torture prevention, identified by the Subcommittee on the ground, and have been instrumental in implementing the Subcommittee’s recommendations. The Special Fund is unique in linking the recommendations of an independent treaty-based expert committee with work on the ground, and an opportunity to apply for a Special Fund grant can serve as an incentive for publication of the Subcommittee’s visit reports. B. Other activities of the Fund 10. Given the Fund’s focus on establishing and strengthening national preventive mechanisms, and in response to increasing demand from the field, OHCHR has developed the OHCHR practical guide on national preventive mechanisms on torture prevention, which will be published at the beginning of 2018. The guide was prepared in close collaboration with Subcommittee experts and OHCHR field officers experienced in supporting the establishment of national preventive mechanisms or assisting in strengthening them on the ground. It also reflects good practices for projects supported by Special Fund grants. The guide is intended to assist the authorities of States that are planning to establish or are seeking to strengthen their national preventive mechanism, as well as the staff of national preventive mechanisms themselves. It is expected also to be a useful tool for experts and professionals involved in preventing and combating torture, for civil society organizations and for the general public. 1 4 Information from the final reports on projects’ implementation submitted to the Special Fund secretariat by the grantees.