A/HRC/30/30 20. As noted above, OHCHR advocates for and supports meaningful consultations for the preparation of all draft laws, particularly those with important implications for human rights. OHCHR requested the ministries concerned to provide an official copy of the drafts under their respective responsibility in order to enable OHCHR to advise the Government on draft legislation that have implications for the protection of human rights. OHCHR, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) jointly authored an opinion piece published in national newspapers for an inclusive process of consultation regarding the law on associations and non-governmental organizations.5 21. Some draft laws have been prepared in a more consultative manner. OHCHR provides inputs as a member of the Technical Working Group established to support the preparation of a draft law on access to information, which is co-chaired by the Ministry of Information and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The working group includes other relevant State institutions and civil society organizations, which to date has allowed for greater transparency and in-depth discussions on the proposals of the Ministry and substantive inputs from a broad spectrum of society. Similarly, during the period under review, OHCHR participated in a working group regularly convened by the Ministry of the Environment to prepare a draft law on environmental impact assessments. The process was also inclusive, resulting in an improved text. The relevant draft law is near finalization. III. Promoting the rule of law 22. Strengthening national capacity continues to be an important component of OHCHR work in the area of judicial reform. Following the organization in 2013 of a pilot course, comprising eight sessions, on fair trial rights for trainee lawyers at the Lawyers Training Centre, OHCHR, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia agreed to develop a full 30-hour human rights course. The proposal was approved by the Bar Council in June 2014, and the course is now compulsory for all trainee lawyers. 23. The first course was delivered by OHCHR, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and the Lawyers Training Centre to trainee lawyers in November 2014, and included specific sessions on fair trial rights with speakers from the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. In addition to the course curriculum, OHCHR and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute drafted a teacher training manual for prospective lecturers for the course. OHCHR and the Institute held a teacher training course in June 2015 to encourage the Lawyers Training Centre to consider jointly delivering the new human rights module and incorporating human rights components into its other courses. The course aims at ensuring that future lawyers will possess the knowledge necessary to protect fair trial rights. 24. OHCHR also embarked on discussions with the Royal Academy of Judicial Professions to integrate an equivalent programme in its own training for future judges and prosecutors. The President of the Academy agreed for OHCHR and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute to organize a human rights course for the next promotion of trainee judges to be recruited in the summer of 2015. In the meantime, at his suggestion, a course for in-service judges and prosecutors from all courts was held in April 2015. 25. The objective of the above-mentioned inaugural training was to improve participants’ capacity to apply international human rights standards when drafting judgements and 5 6 “The importance of trust”, Phnom Penh Post, 12 May 2015.