A/HRC/23/20 7. The Deputy High Commissioner referred to the engagement of OHCHR in integrating human rights into international cooperation efforts. Building on the commitments made by Member States to the Millennium Development Goals, OHCHR had promoted strong partnerships with human rights and development actors and, in the lead-up to 2015, was working to ensure that a human rights perspective was reflected in the post2015 development agenda. Its field presences provided technical cooperation and advisory services, fostering dialogue and cooperation between State institutions, civil society, the United Nations system and regional mechanisms. It also sought to strengthen cooperation with other international partners on specific issues, such as human rights approaches to poverty reduction strategies with the World Bank and the World Trade Organization and with a range of United Nations partners to promote rights-based responses to HIV/AIDS, to contribute to the development of international business standards and to promote a rightsbased approach to migration. Convinced of the key role of cooperation between human rights mechanisms, the Office had also strengthened cooperation with regional human rights organizations and mechanisms, including through the organization of biennial workshops on regional arrangements. 8. The President of the Human Rights Council recalled that the General Assembly, in its resolution 60/251, had described international cooperation as a cornerstone principle of the mandate of the Council. Although the place of international cooperation was ingrained in the work of the Council, the main achievement in this regard had been made with the establishment of the universal periodic review, which had contributed to universalizing human rights and opening up unprecedented opportunities for States, the United Nations system, regional organizations, civil society, national institutions and development actors to foster international cooperation in the field of human rights. The conceptual debate itself, as evidenced by the present seminar, had also gained a new impetus through the understanding of dialogue and cooperation and the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity underpinning the mandate of the Council. 9. The Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, stated that the multiple and complex global challenges faced by today’s world called for global solutions; the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights therefore remained a top priority on the agenda of the international community. The importance of respecting cultural diversity needed to be stressed, as did the recognition that cultural diversity is a source of unity rather than division within the international community, and an asset. Tolerance and mutual understanding were key elements in enhancing international cooperation, which in turn helped to promote mutual understanding and good relations among States. The right to development, which was a key to peace and security, should be crucially upheld in the policies and operational activities of the United Nations. The Voluntary Fund for financial and technical assistance in the implementation of the universal periodic review, established up by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 6/17, helped countries to implement the recommendations made during the sessions of the review mechanism. 10. The Director of External Relations of the Council of Europe gave an insight into the contribution of the Council, as a regional organization, to international cooperation in the field of human rights. The Council not only contributed to the promotion and implementation of international standards, but also to normative development through its own standard-setting, which aimed to be universal, but where it was important to avoid duplication. Besides formal agreements of cooperation signed with the United Nations and a number of specialized agencies, the Council aimed to maintain interaction in terms of information-sharing and coordination, in particular with regard to monitoring bodies, and made contributions to the universal periodic review. With regard to cooperation with OHCHR, fields of common interest were being identified, and avenues to further strengthen 4