A/HRC/19/74 the recommendations themselves should be clearly formulated. Moreover, the procedure for dealing with cases of continued non-cooperation must be effective. 46. One of the available mechanisms for this purpose is the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance, which was established by the Human Rights Council through resolution 6/17 to help countries implement the recommendations emanating from the universal periodic review. 47. A finding that a failing or violation has occurred should result not only in a declaration of culpability — a measure that in too many cases seems to be simply a matter of form — but also in legal action being taken and technical assistance provided to improve the situation on the ground; this is the procedure in effect at ILO. A fortiori, the complaints procedure should be reformed in order to enable the Human Rights Council to take effective and specific steps whenever the Working Group on Communications apprises it of cases of systematic violations. The Council could then function as an early warning mechanism. 48. International cooperation in the field of human rights also takes place within the international criminal justice system. In this regard, States’ cooperation with the International Criminal Court is essential to expedite the prosecution and conviction of Rome Statute crimes. 49. In order to strengthen international cooperation, a review of the consultative status of non-governmental organizations is also called for. It is difficult to speak of a partnership when the NGO committee is made up entirely of Member States, without appropriate participation by non-governmental organizations themselves. A mixed parity-based system or a system of genuine tripartism, which includes independent experts serving as a neutral party, would be a definite improvement. The ritual call for the participation of all ―stakeholders‖ does not suffice to support the vital role of non-governmental organizations in defending human rights across the world. Efforts should be made to achieve better synergies with independent non-governmental organizations in the area of information exchange and shared initiatives, and also by taking actions on the ground. 50. Lastly, international cooperation in the field of human rights is not the exclusive domain of multilateral diplomacy; it also relates to the work of the United Nations on the ground. In this connection, systematic assessments should be undertaken to determine how effective the local missions of the United Nations Development Programme, the human rights centres established by OHCHR and peacekeeping operations are in protecting and promoting human rights and in upholding humanitarian law. It is vitally important to define compliance objectives from the outset so as to ensure that respect for human rights is fully integrated into United Nations activities and, in particular, to assess results. A solemn declaration by the Secretary-General formally reaffirming the commitment of the United Nations to international human rights principles and obligations would be an important step towards making the Organization a full stakeholder in the application of rules adopted under its auspices. Such a declaration could also reaffirm the importance of various forms of institutional, bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of human rights. C. International cooperation and human rights 51. No discussion of human rights in the context of international cooperation should focus solely on human rights as such. In addition to the question of strengthening international cooperation in the field of human rights, human rights issues in all areas where international cooperation takes place should be examined using a cross-cutting approach – a form of mainstreaming. The existing situation remains somewhat paradoxical. On the one hand, States have undertaken international obligations and businesses have made voluntary 14