A/HRC/37/79 the occupied Palestinian territory from 29 to 31 October 2017. The sessions were chaired by Mariclaire Acosta Urquidi. A. Forty-fourth session (Geneva) 9. The Board took the opportunity of its meeting in Geneva, coinciding with the thirtyfourth session of the Human Rights Council, to receive an update and follow up on the various discussions regarding the item on technical cooperation in the Human Rights Council. It also used the session to contribute to the preparation of the new OHCHR programming cycle for the period 2018–2021 through briefings and sharing a series of lessons learned that could help strengthen and focus the programmes of the Office on the ground. The Board held discussions with relevant sections of the Office on the importance of continuing to strengthen thematic capacities at the regional level and the complementarities of the various ongoing efforts and programmes. Discussions were also held on supporting enhanced capacities on the ground for reporting and follow-up to the work of the international human rights mechanisms, in particular the international human rights treaty monitoring bodies. Consistent with its regular methods of work, the Board dedicated one day of the session to taking stock on the implementation of the programmes supported by the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation; developing its future programme of work; and discussing its responsibilities under the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review. During the meeting, Mariclaire Acosta Urquidi formally assumed her role as elected Chair, to succeed Christopher Sidoti. 10. Representatives of OHCHR services in charge of overall planning and programming guidance, briefed the Board on the process of designing the new strategic direction of the Office for the period 2018–2021. The Board noted with appreciation the efforts by the Office to reach out to and involve a large range and number of stakeholders through the preparatory process, gathering the widest possible views and contributions to analyse lessons learned from the past while scanning the future, the trends and developments requiring particular focus and attention by the Office. 11. The Board had the opportunity to provide the Office with views regarding the challenges ahead based on the individual human rights expertise of its members and the views expressed by stakeholders during its sessions in the field. In particular the Board stressed the ongoing worldwide challenges threatening the human rights gains of the last 70 years and the urgent need to strengthen the worldwide constituency for the promotion and protection of human rights for all. The difficulties being faced by civil society organizations and, in particular, the closing of the civic space in numerous countries and the attacks on human rights defenders, as well as the human rights challenges being faced by people on the move around the world, were some of the elements the Board stressed as requiring particular attention by OHCHR. The combat against racism and xenophobia; the access to and enjoyment of development and the fight against inequality; the situations of conflict and insecurity and the need to strengthen the mechanisms for early warning; and the importance of the prevalence of the rule of law and accountability remain in the view of the Board critical areas of work for the Office in the years to come. Through its visits on the ground, the Board has had the opportunity to observe the added value that the Office has brought to all those fields and its comparative and collaborative advantages. The Board is of the view that when the Office is provided with the right resources and access, the support provided to State efforts in the field of human rights makes a real difference to the daily lives of millions of people around the world. 12. One of the items of interest for the Board over the last four years has been the experiences and lessons learned in the area of providing support through technical cooperation for the establishment of robust national protection systems, including through national human rights institutions. For example, the Board noted the results achieved through the efforts of the Office to support and promote the establishment of national human rights institutions and recommended that the Office continue to give priority in the new programming cycle to strengthening the operational capacities of those institutions, to ensure that they operate in line with the principles relating to the status of national 5