A/HRC/42/32 III. Cooperation with the United Nations human rights mechanisms and national mechanisms to promote and protect human rights A. Action to implement the recommendations of the universal periodic review and other United Nations mechanisms 73. With a view to strengthening cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations human rights mechanisms, the Joint Office provided technical and financial support to the Ministry of Human Rights and the interministerial committee responsible for drafting reports and following up on the implementation of recommendations of the treaty bodies and the universal periodic review. The Joint Office conducted at least 29 working sessions with members of the Ministry and the committee and 3 training workshops on techniques for drafting reports for the treaty bodies and the national report for the universal periodic review and on regional and international human rights protection mechanisms. 74. As a result of this cooperation, the Democratic Republic of the Congo submitted its combined second, third, fourth and fifth periodic reports on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In February 2019, it submitted its national report for the third cycle of the universal periodic review. However, the High Commissioner finds it regrettable that, in the absence of a national strategy for the promotion and protection of human rights incorporating all the recommendations of the various mechanisms, the implementation of recommendations remains limited. B. 1. Update on national mechanisms for the protection and promotion of human rights National Human Rights Commission 75. Following its “A” status accreditation by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions in May 2018, the Commission is now in compliance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles). 76. With the technical and financial support of the Joint Office, the Commission has made significant efforts to execute its mandate. It has issued opinions and recommendations for the adoption, by parliament, of bills on the protection and accountability of human rights defenders and non-profit associations, in terms consistent with international human rights instruments. The Commission has also carried out visits to places of detention, monitored demonstrations organized during the electoral process, and dealt with numerous complaints, more than half of which were followed up as human rights violations. The Commission has published, inter alia, a report on the social responsibility of extractive companies, an investigation report on the violence committed in December 2018 in Yumbi and an annual activity report. It has also submitted a number of other reports in the context of the universal periodic review, as well as reports to the Committee against Torture and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The Commission, which has 211 staff members (of whom 68 are women), is now present in all 26 provinces of the country. 77. Nonetheless, the Commission still faces certain challenges, including a lack of financial and material resources, structure and specialized units to facilitate the organization of its work and constraints that limit its independence. 78. The High Commissioner encourages the Government to take steps to ensure that the Commission can, with complete independence and impartiality, fully assume its role as the institution of reference for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. GE.19-13875 13