A/HRC/37/79 encourage Member States to boost their dialogue with the Office, with the aim of expanding its presence and capacity for support across the region. 25. In the occupied Palestinian territory, the support received and the value of the work of the Office was emphasized by all counterparts, including the authorities, civil society and members of the United Nations and the international community with whom the Board met. The visit to the OHCHR office in the occupied Palestinian territory once again demonstrated that, when it is given the opportunity to use the full mandate of the High Commissioner in a strategic manner to support human rights efforts in a country, the results are tangible and sustainable, and the Office is accepted as a key, reliable partner, despite critical complexities. 26. In Ramallah, the Board delegation met with staff of the OHCHR office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Independent Commission for Human Rights, civil society organizations, United Nations programmes and agencies and representatives of the international community supporting development programmes on the ground. The Board members also visited Gaza, where they met with staff of the OHCHR office, civil society and United Nations agencies and programmes. 27. The Board was particularly impressed by the work of OHCHR in such a complex political context and by its strategic direction, despite the critical operational challenges on the ground. The discussions with all partners highlighted how closely the Office works with all of them and how the monitoring reports inform all the programmes and contribute positively to the very tangible results achieved in the development of the national protection framework, engagement with the human rights mechanisms and legal and policy reforms promoting human rights. For example, the close monitoring of the situation of human rights defenders and of persons in detention has enabled the Office to get an accurate idea of the key challenges that need to be addressed and of the relevant institutions to work with on the design and implementation of appropriate programmes. 28. The Office has managed very effectively to maintain its operations and to further develop the programmes while holding always to the highest standards of independence and in full respect of the mandate of the High Commissioner. The Board observed, as was also the case in Ukraine, how skilfully the staff of the Office handle the challenges they face, ensuring respect for international standards as the key basis for all its programmes. The cooperation, trust and credibility that the Office has managed to build over the more than 20 years it has been present, through numerous crisis situations and difficult times is, in the view of the Board, the result of a consistent programme in full conformity with international standards and of a constructive and proactive engagement with the rights of the people at the centre of all the strategies. As has been observed in the case of previous visits of the Board, such as its most recent visit to the OHCHR office in Guatemala, in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Office plays an important convening role and provides a trusted space for dialogue, by also creating channels of participation, in particular for human rights defenders and victims. That was highlighted by human rights defenders with whom the Board met in Gaza. 29. One of the greatest achievements of the Office in the occupied Palestinian territory has been the strategic use of its monitoring mandate to gather valuable and credible data and develop specific technical cooperation programmes aimed at the development of the national protection system. All the actors with whom the Board met stressed the neutrality of the Office as a key component of the trust it has nurtured and which is demonstrated in its recommendations to all sectors. The Board noted that capacity-building activities have increased, especially since the ratification in 2014 by the State of Palestine of seven of the core human rights treaties. It also appreciated the fact that during its visit a number of concrete actions for capacity-building to meet reporting obligations were discussed and finalized. The sequence of activities, involving ratification, legislative development and law reform in line with international standards and policymaking informs the entire programme. For example, the Office has been providing support on the finalization of reports to the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and its role in ensuring that the situation in Gaza was not overlooked in both reports was highly appreciated by all the parties with whom the Board met. The Board was also impressed 9