A/HRC/26/23 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 8 September 2014 Original: English Human Rights Council Twenty-sixth session Agenda items 2 and 10 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Technical assistance and capacity-building Progress in technical assistance and capacity-building for South Sudan in the field of human rights* Note by the secretariat 1. The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 23/24, requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on the situation of human rights in South Sudan and to work with the Government of South Sudan to provide technical assistance and identify additional areas of assistance to strengthen the capacity of South Sudan to fulfil its human rights obligations and commitments. It also requested the High Commissioner to submit an interim report to the Council at its twenty-sixth session on progress in technical assistance and capacity-building in the field of human rights. 2. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights carries out its human rights programme in South Sudan through the Human Rights Division of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The Division has a mandate to monitor, investigate and report on the human rights situation and to provide technical assistance, as well as to help to build the capacity of national institutions. Pursuant to Security Council resolutions 1996 (2011) and 2057 (2012), UNMISS was entrusted with a robust human rights mandate to strengthen the capacity of national stakeholders through the enhancement of their skills and knowledge. A technical cooperation programme under the auspices of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has been embedded in the work of the Division as an important component of the Mission’s mandate. The programme has been implemented through activities geared towards building the human rights capacity of specific stakeholders, including of government ministries, the Human Rights Commission, the National Assembly, the South Sudan National Police Service, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, correction officers, civil society organizations, human rights defenders and media groups. These activities, conducted at the national, State and at times county * Late submission. GE.14-16072 (E) 