A/HRC/34/33 administrations to play a more active role in the decision-making process therefore had to be found. 18. The discussant Lin Lim, member of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, fully agreed with the assertion made by Mr. di Robilant that human rights cut across all policy agendas of development, peace, security and social justice. These linkages were more important than ever in the light of the commitment that States had made to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was grounded in international human rights law and standards. Ms. Lim pointed out that human rights instruments provided useful guidance for strengthening the focus and quality of the Sustainable Development Goals, and for the measurements used to assess progress in achieving those goals. She emphasized that mainstreaming human rights had to be based, first and foremost, on a participatory and inclusive diagnosis of the situation of human rights and the challenges faced in a particular State. 19. Ms. Lim stated that, in the various States visited by the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, the members had confirmed that a human rights-based approach in national policies worked best when it was evidence-based and built on a thorough human rights analysis. For instance, in Ukraine, government agencies, the United Nations country team and development partners had all emphasized how much they rely on the objective and up-todate monitoring and thematic reports of OHCHR as the basis for designing their own programmes. In Mexico, the Voluntary Fund had been supporting the OHCHR country office and national partners in gathering information and data on the situation of human rights. In Viet Nam, at the request of the Government, a review of the State’s draft five-year development plan had identified several areas where the promotion of labour rights and decent work could be strengthened by adopting a more rights-based approach. 20. Participatory and inclusive processes helped to ensure that policy responses were demand-driven and reflected national priorities and commitments. This was especially important to avoid concerns that rights-based policies were being externally imposed upon a State. This approach also promoted national ownership and leadership, which were critical in moving a complex and sensitive rights-based agenda forward. It also opened up scope for communication and cooperation between different stakeholders. Several States had reported that, under the convening role of the United Nations country team and in particular with the guidance of an OHCHR-supported human rights adviser, diverse national actors had been able to work together with the common goal of pushing for rightsbased policies and programmes. In the United Republic Tanzania, for instance, the universal periodic review had provided an inclusive forum for the discussion of human rights issues; the multi-stakeholder engagement had resulted in a national report that genuinely reflected country-wide perspectives on human rights priorities. The main recommendations were translated into a national plan of action on human rights that explicitly promoted a human-rights based approach to development and poverty reduction. 21. A participatory and inclusive process of mainstreaming human rights upheld the right of all stakeholders to participate in decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods. It also gave people the voice and a platform to express their needs and the capacity to engage effectively, and to claim their right to share fairly and equitably in the fruits of development. Broad-based, representative participation required, as a first step, the identification of all relevant rights-holders and duty-bearers. Discrimination was a major cause of non-participation, exclusion and marginalization. It was therefore essential to identify all forms of discrimination and to pay special attention to the most marginalized and vulnerable groups. 22. The importance of legal literacy could be overemphasized. People were not able to push for rights-based policies and laws if they did not know what their human rights and 6