A/HRC/20/9 persons and persons with disabilities. A declaration on the role of NHRIs in addressing the rights of older persons and persons with disabilities was adopted at the end of the Conference. 52. In June 2011, OHCHR organized a subregional capacity-building workshop in Yaoundé which was attended by Government officials, parliamentarians and members of the NHRIs of Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Sao Tome and Principe. The workshop aimed at sensitizing participants to the importance of independent and effective NHRIs, compliant with the Paris Principles. The workshop described the conditions of creation and functioning of existing NHRIs. Experiences on the accreditation process were also shared. 53. On 24–26 January 2012, in Brazzaville, OHCHR organized a subregional capacitybuilding workshop for members and staff of the NHRIs from Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda and Sao Tome and Principe. 54. In December 2011, the Regional Office for Southern Africa held a regional expert seminar on economic, social and cultural rights, in Maputo. Some 22 participants from Governments, NHRIs, NGOs and academia discussed legal frameworks in the subregion and strategies for advancing economic, social and cultural rights. Case studies from Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe were discussed during the seminar. The participants formulated recommendations for all relevant actors on how to advance the protection and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights in the sub-region. 55. In December 2011, in Cairo, OHCHR participated in a conference on strengthening the capacities of the NHRIs in North Africa in conflict and post-conflict situations. The event was organized by the National Centre for Human Rights of Egypt, in collaboration with the Human Rights Implementation Centre of the University of Bristol and the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions. 56. From 29 September to 1 October 2011, a regional workshop on business and human rights was held in Yaoundé by the OHCH Regional Office for Central Africa and the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions, in follow-up to the Edinburgh Declaration on Business and Human Rights. A regional action plan was adopted for the implementation of the Edinburgh Declaration. 3. Asia and the Pacific 57. In September 2011, OHCHR participated in the Sixteenth Annual Meeting and Biennial Conference of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions in Bangkok, which brought together some 150 representatives from NHRIs, civil society organizations and Governments. They shared good practices of NHRIs’ work to monitor implementation of the Declaration on the Right to Development. Participants also examined the situation facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in the Asia-Pacific region, and steps taken by NHRIs to advance their rights. The APF Forum Council also adopted a gender policy to ensure that a focus on the rights of women is integrated across its objectives and programmes. 58. In October 2011, OHCHR participated in the Regional Conference on Business and Human Rights in Seoul, which was co-hosted by APF and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, in follow up to the Edinburgh Declaration on Business and Human Rights. The Seoul conference addressed emerging regional trends and issues in human rights and business, and the training needs of NHRIs to develop their capacity to engage and advise the corporate sector on human rights issues. Around 180 representatives from 10