A/HRC/35/20 represents important lessons learned on how the United Nations and the diplomatic missions can and should play a bridge-building role, even in the most strained civil societygovernment contexts.13 Participation by women victims of sexual and gender-based violence, in Kosovo14 5. 46. In Kosovo, OHCHR actively promoted the participation of women in the identification of adequate reparation measures. Through inclusive consultations with survivors, OHCHR completed a study in 2013 on reparations for victims of sexual and gender-based violence during the armed conflict in Kosovo and advocated for the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report, which contributed to addressing long-standing demands for redress. 6. OHCHR monitoring in Togo increases participation in the electoral processes 47. In 2013, OHCHR Togo significantly contributed to the participation of voters through a comprehensive programme of human rights promotion and a parallel election monitoring project, allowing 66 per cent of voters to cast a vote. The OHCHR Togo electoral project included involvement by civil society organizations in the promotion and monitoring of respect for human rights. In anticipation of the elections, 600 human rights observers were deployed to the 30 prefectures in Togo and the five communes of Lomé to monitor the observance of key civil and political rights related to elections and basic principles of independence and impartiality. OHCHR trained and coordinated the observers by deploying staff members to the five administrative regions. This enabled OHCHR to remain informed about problems encountered, to undertake advocacy interventions as needed, and to liaise with the State and the electoral authorities, who showed a high degree of cooperation and goodwill. D. Support for follow-up to recommendations of human rights mechanisms 48. The international human rights system has significantly expanded over the past 20 years, with a near-doubling in the number of treaty bodies that oversee the implementation of the core human rights treaties, a similar increase in the number of special procedure mandates within the context of the Human Rights Council, and the establishment of the universal periodic review mechanism of the Human Rights Council. States are thus faced with increasing requirements as regards implementing treaty obligations, reporting to the international and regional human rights systems, and following up on the recommendations or decisions emanating from them. OHCHR therefore supports States so that they may better engage with the international human rights mechanisms and implement recommendations from those mechanisms effectively. 1. National mechanisms for reporting and follow-up 49. Recognizing that many States have difficulties in living up to their multiple reporting obligations, the General Assembly, in its resolution 68/268, designed a significant capacity-building programme “to support States parties in building the capacity to implement their treaty obligations”. The OHCHR treaty body capacity-building programme, subsequently established in 2015, organizes training-of-trainers workshops that focus on treaty body reporting and training methodologies, for State officials. 50. The treaty body capacity-building programme also provides assistance to requesting State parties on national mechanisms for reporting and follow-up, as well as on the preparation of common core documents and on treaty-specific reporting. In this context, the treaty body capacity-building programme launched a practical guide, and an accompanying 13 14 10 “Informe de avance del proyecto ‘Apoyo al funcionamiento de la secretaría técnica del G24’ “, UNDP, July 2009. All references to Kosovo in the present document should be understood to be in compliance with Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).