A/HRC/37/64
52.
In late June, OHCHR co-organized a workshop with several civil society
organizations and the Cambodian Human Rights Committee to follow up on
recommendations emerging from the universal periodic review. 5 Participants assessed the
extent of implementation of all recommendations, highlighting progress achieved, and
identified recommendations requiring action or additional measures. This event helped civil
society organizations identify and prioritize certain areas or recommendations, as the basis
for their submissions ahead of the universal periodic review of Cambodia to be held in
2019.
VII. Mainstreaming human rights throughout the United Nations
system
53.
The coordination of activities for the promotion and protection of human rights
throughout the United Nations system is a core responsibility of OHCHR. The Office
continued to chair the Human Rights Theme Group, which was created in 2014 and
comprises 14 members of the United Nations country team who convene in monthly
meetings to review emerging human rights concerns, facilitate inter-agency initiatives to
address them, disseminate information pertaining to the international human rights
mechanisms and respond to requests for input from regional and global human rights
initiatives.
54.
Following the 2015 national conference on persons in street situations, the Human
Rights Theme Group continued to coordinate inter-agency visits to the main social affairs
centre in Phnom Penh, referred to as a drop-in centre. Overcrowding in that centre remains
serious as the anti-drug campaign continues. The Human Rights Theme Group convened
meetings with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation to
encourage the resumption of the technical working group to implement the
recommendations adopted at the 2015 conference. 6 With the planned opening of a new
psychosocial rehabilitation centre for persons with mental disabilities in 2018 in Kandal
Province, the Human Rights Theme Group emphasized the importance of placing the centre
under the administration of the relevant ministry, namely the Ministry of Health, and
ensuring that it does not become a de facto place of detention.
55.
During the reporting period, OHCHR contributed to the drafting of the common
country assessment and the United Nations country team exercise in October to envisage
the country’s state of development in 2030 and examine the role of the United Nations in
Cambodia in the light of that vision. OHCHR has encouraged the inclusion of human rights
and of the recommendations of human rights mechanisms in the common country
assessment.
5
6
This activity, while falling outside the reporting period, was not reported in the previous report of the
Secretary-General (A/HRC/36/32) as it took place after the finalization of that report.
The technical working group on persons in street situations was created in the wake of the 2015
conference, chaired by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, with the
aim of bringing together government authorities, United Nations agencies and NGOs engaged in
social work.
9
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