A/HRC/26/51 Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review. OHCHR is tasked with submitting to the Human Rights Council an annual written update on the operations of the Fund (A/HRC/26/54). 6. The present report covers the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth sessions of the Board in its capacity relating to the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights. At those sessions, the Board continued to explore various components of the Human Rights Programme on Technical Cooperation funded by the that Fund, with a view to providing policy guidance and advice on the technical cooperation activities carried out by OHCHR. II. Activities and results of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights and the Board of Trustees A. Thirty-eighth session 7. The Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights held its thirty-eighth session in Geneva, from 11 to 14 November 2013. The session was chaired by Christopher Sidoti, who had been elected Chairperson of the Board of Trustees at its thirty-seventh session. All members of the Board attended the session. 8. The main objectives of the session were to take stock of and to contribute to the final stages of the preparation of the OHCHR Management Plan for the period 2014-2017, and to discuss with OHCHR geographic and thematic sections the relevant aspects of the technical cooperation programme pertinent to each of the thematic strategies; to familiarize the Board with the mechanisms in place through the OHCHR Performance Monitoring System to monitor and report on technical cooperation results under each of the thematic strategies, focus areas and type of field presences receiving support from the Fund during the programing cycle; to discuss efforts at the field level to continue to strengthen gender integration and women’s rights focus in technical cooperation programmes; and to review the financial information and projected allocations for 2014 by the Fund. During the session, the Board received also an update on the main developments at the Human Rights Council in the area of technical cooperation. 9. The Board was briefed and discussed with the Universal Periodic Review Section the mechanisms in place and the ongoing projects under the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review. This was the first time since it assumed its new function with regard to this Fund that the Board had an opportunity to share views and receive direct briefings on regional and country experiences on the use of the Fund. The Board learned about the OHCHR approach to universal periodic review follow-up, as well as on the support provided to a number of States in all regions under the Fund in 2013. The Board stressed the importance of ensuring the sustainability of the impact of funded projects and the need to identify adequate avenues for the active engagement of civil society, in particular non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions, in review follow-up efforts by States. The details of its activities overseeing the management of the Fund can be found in the annual OHCHR reports on the Fund. 10. Technical cooperation in the context of the strategic planning process for the period 2014-2017 was also the subject of discussion during the session. The Board members met with the OHCHR Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Service, as well as with 4