A/HRC/16/66 commissions of enquiry in particular. The Board learned of the development of a policy tool for policymakers and other stakeholders. 65. The Board learned of the importance of establishing national independent commissions of inquiry, which was recently emphasized by the High Commissioner. The Office has also prepared a report on guidance on a witness and victim protection framework at the 15th session of the Human Rights Council. The strategic plan for the Office in this area is to continue to work on accountability on gross violations, establishment of national commissions of inquiry, and accountability with regard to prosecutions at national level. The Board also learned about the concerns in Latin America regarding the impact of organized crime on provision of public security. The Board appreciated the Office’s efforts to advise on transitional justice by setting standards, providing advice and capacity-building initiatives. The Board was pleased to learn of the production of tools containing collections of best practices from the United Nations field operations in the area of transitional justice. 66. The Board enquired on the issue of traditional justice and the need for sharing of ideas and was informed that experts in constitutional law in Colombia have incorporated traditional justice into jurisprudence and noted that more research into their co-existence was essential. The Board acknowledged the work of the Section and emphasized that the independence of national institutions was paramount to their success. F. Anti-Discrimination 67. The Board was pleased to note the reinforcement of the capacity of the AntiDiscrimination Section of the Research and Right to Development Division of OHCHR. In the context of servicing mechanisms, the Section had continued to work with the various working groups comprised of Government representatives and independent eminent experts as well as the ad hoc committee on complementary standards to address gaps in normative agendas on racial discrimination. With regard to thematic and project work, the Section has held practical activities in the field to assist States to draw up national action plans to address racism and racial discrimination. In this regard two workshops were held in Africa in collaboration with l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie for French-speaking States. There are ongoing preparations for a workshop with English-speaking African countries in December 2010 in Addis Ababa. The Board was also interested in the establishment of an anti-discrimination database in the future and was informed of plans to address the issue of promotion of anti-discrimination in collaboration with sports organizations. It was sensitized to the support required for activities related to the International Year for the People of African Descent in 2011. 68. The Board learned of the activities on the follow-up to the Durban Review Conference and the preparations for Human Rights Day 2010 on the theme: human rights defenders acting against discrimination. In conclusion the Board thanked the Section for its update and acknowledged their achievements. VII. Conclusion 69. At the conclusion of the sessions, the Board members, along with senior staff members of OHCHR, had the opportunity to hold an interactive briefing and dialogue with Member States. The purpose was to inform and update Member States on the background, structure and operations of the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation, and to present the financial status of the Fund and activities supported by the Voluntary Fund. The session was well attended and interest was shown by the Member States in the following issues: the proportion of 15