A/HRC/7/38 page 7 open-ended working group on the right to development. OHCHR has also issued major publications on poverty and a human rights-based approach to development, and through advocacy, strengthened partnerships and capacity-building activities has helped to advance knowledge and capacities to deal with these issues. 23. Conscious that the fight against poverty and global inequities requires the concerted effort of many actors, OHCHR worked in 2007 with United Nations human rights mechanisms, such as the independent expert on extreme poverty; the independent expert on the effects of economic reform policies and foreign debt on the full enjoyment of human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights; the ad hoc working group on the implementation of existing human rights norms and standards in the context of the fight against extreme poverty; and the Social Forum. My Office has collaborated with its United Nations sister agencies and programmes, as well as with States, to integrate human rights-based approaches into poverty reduction strategies and programmes. The presence of OHCHR on the ground has facilitated the adoption of human rights-based approaches in different programming and planning frameworks. 24. In order to fight discrimination, during the past biennium, OHCHR has provided advisory services in the drafting of anti-discrimination laws; produced guidelines to assist States in the development of national action plans; organized regional workshops; and engaged in inter-agency cooperation on anti-discrimination issues so as to strengthen national protection systems. My Office has also supported national institutions and civil society organizations and assisted in the empowerment of victims of discrimination. 25. In my Plan of Action, I advocated that the protection of human rights should be at the core of policies to address conflict, as when patterns of abuse are tackled effectively, escalation can often be halted. As human rights protection has become a major cross-cutting issue to be incorporated in humanitarian activities, OHCHR has become increasingly involved in the inter-agency response to humanitarian crises and the development of human rights training manuals and operational guidance. In addition, OHCHR has increased its collaboration with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Department of Political Affairs and United Nations peace missions, including through supporting their human rights components, and contributed to the development of guidance on human rights for military and police components. 26. In my 2005 Plan of Action, I stated that human rights standards must underpin any meaningful conception of democracy, so that physical integrity is protected and freedoms of participation, elections, assembly, association, opinion, expression and information are guaranteed. 27. OHCHR has therefore carried out democracy-building and support activities under the various components of the United Nations human rights programme. Technical cooperation projects have been mainly geared towards enhancing the capacity of State institutions to promote democratic governance, notably through a strong and independent judiciary; effective parliament oversight mechanisms; independent and powerful national human rights institutions; and a vibrant civil society.