A/HRC/26/51 each of the OHCHR thematic teams in charge of sharpening the focus of the Office on a set of critical human rights challenges for the new four-year programming cycle. Together, the Board and its interlocutors analysed the technical cooperation components of each of the Office’s six thematic priorities. The Members of the Board, who had participated in various stages of the preparatory process, including through the series of regional consultations, expressed appreciation for the continued efforts of OHCHR to promote technical cooperation at the outset of its strategic planning and as an integral part of all its programmes. 11. The Board noted and endorsed in particular the significant progress made through this exercise in recognizing that strengthening democratic society is a long-lasting investment for development. It welcomed the new thematic strategy of “widening the democratic space” and its sharp focus on strengthening and building national human rights capacities as a critical means to the prevention of human rights violation and conflicts, which ultimately has been proved critical to sustainable economic development. It also endorsed the attention to national human rights institutions in both this new thematic priority and specifically addressed throughout all the priorities. It considered that this would certainly require vigorous impetus and support to the implementation of the programmes on the ground. The Board noted with appreciation the specific focus on some critical human rights issues and concerns where OHCHR had managed to develop substantive expertise over the past biennium, such as the particular situation of individuals and groups facing discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and the persons defending them. The Board was encouraged to observe that its contributions throughout the strategic planning process had been taken into account and served to support the finalization of the new management plan. 12. The Board was updated on the implementation of the programmes funded by the Voluntary Fund in the framework of the OHCHR management plan, and in particular on results at the end of the 2012-2013 biennium across all regions, as well as the partnerships on the ground with Governments, civil society and United Nations partners, including United Nations country teams. 13. The Board was briefed in particular by field presences on the actions taken at the field level to integrate women’s rights and gender equality in technical cooperation programmes and activities. Teleconference discussions with the Regional Gender Advisers in the OHCHR Regional Office for Central America in Panama, the OHCHR Regional Office for the Middle East in Beirut and the OHCHR Regional Office for West Africa in Dakar showed how the gender dimensions of technical cooperation programmes at the field level could be adequately addressed and benefit from closer geographic and available regional expertise. The Board found particularly notable the regional expertise in the Americas in the area of gender-based killings (femicide), in particular the development of protocols for their investigation and the innovative ways of providing support to other field presences and States in the region to develop similar protocols, particularly those receiving support from the Voluntary Fund. The Board found equally encouraging the strategies in place by the Gender Adviser in Beirut in providing countries in the region and the United Nations country team with expertise in the area of women’s participation and legal grounds for gender equality. Lastly, the Board welcomed the initiatives taken by the Regional Adviser in Dakar to advise Governments on nationality laws and issues with regard to women’s political participation. 14. One of the challenges that the Board has traditionally observed while analysing technical cooperation programmes is ensuring synergies and cross-sharing experiences between the programmes and projects in the area of technical cooperation, receiving support from the various United Nation trust funds. During the session, the Board discussed and identified areas for collaboration with the work of other trust funds managed by the 5