A/HRC/37/79 18. Its physical presence in the region, despite its limited resources, has enabled OHCHR to enhance the value of its unique mandate and to engage actively with key partners in particular, but not exclusively, in the host country. The added value is particularly evident, for example, in the support the Office has been providing in the host country and others in the region on the development of the statutory framework for the establishment of a national human rights institution, commenting on legislation and supporting through technical cooperation the strengthening of complaints and investigative mechanisms. The Board had the opportunity to discuss with the relevant members of the parliament the support provided in this process, which was reported as extremely valuable. Examples of ongoing technical advice on the development of legislation were provided, including steps to follow up on the ratification by Lebanon of the Convention against Torture, and of its Optional Protocol, the establishment of the national preventive mechanism and the fight against domestic violence. The Board also appreciated the results achieved through the treaty body capacity-building programme, which has helped to consolidate and give an important support to the efforts by the host country and several other countries in the region to meet pending reporting obligations. The situation of the most recent reception of a large number of refugees, in particular from the Syrian Arab Republic, and the challenges the country faces, given its generosity to refugees, was also a key focus of discussions during the meetings with authorities, the United Nations and civil society organizations. During meetings with staff of the regional office, the Board also learned about the current technical assistance programme with Saudi Arabia. 19. The regional office is one of the OHCHR offices that is supported by a Regional Gender Adviser. The Board always pays particular attention to the efforts made on gender integration and women’s rights through technical cooperation by the Office. It was pleased to note that the presence of the Adviser has substantially increased the capacity and work of the regional office in gender and women’s rights issues in the region and in accordance with the mandate and vision of OHCHR. The Board emphasized how critical that type of expertise is to working with partners and building new partnerships within the United Nations country teams and the United Nations regional entities to support efforts aimed at advancing women’s rights. The Adviser liaises with partners at the national level, including national human rights institutions, women’s mechanisms and civil society actors. The Board learnt about the ongoing capacity-building programmes to enhance women’s rights, national mechanisms and institutions in the Middle East and North Africa region. The Board also discussed how the progressive normative guidance by human rights mechanisms in the area of women’s rights, in particular from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the work of the Adviser, are advancing women’s rights in the region, including facilitating sessions on Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security, and examining the efforts of countries to combat violence against women, advancing the agenda of resolution 1325 (2000). The Board was particularly pleased with the ongoing training programmes on community mobilization for women human rights defenders from across the region; the human rights capacity-building activities for judges and lawyers, in particular on issues such as judicial gender stereotyping and women’s access to justice; and the support provided to countries in the region to be up to date with the reporting obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The overall impression gained by the Board is that the work on gender mainstreaming has moved its focus from the quantity of activities undertaken to the quality of the support and cooperation provided. 20. In response to the crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic, OHCHR has established a team, which functions as a virtual country office, given the present lack of access, and operates from Gaziantep, Turkey, Amman, Geneva and Beirut. The Beirut component, colocated with the OHCHR regional office, provided the Board with a briefing during the visit and they had the opportunity to discuss various aspects of the programme. The work of OHCHR on the Syrian Arab Republic involves monitoring and reporting, providing human rights and legal advice to partners and capacity-building and advocacy. The Beirut-based team monitors, analyses and reports on the human rights situation in the Syrian Arab Republic through contributions to the monthly reports of the Secretary-General to the Security Council pursuant to Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 (2015), and also produces monthly early-warning reports. The Board 7