A/HRC/16/66 36. The Board was briefed on the situation of human rights advisers in Georgia, Moldova and the Russian Federation and on the situation of the field presence in Kosovo2. The Board learned of the work undertaken with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) on legislative amendments in workshops with the Kosovo Assembly, in its role of appointing the Ombudsperson to promote compliance with the Paris Principles relating to national human rights institutions. OHCHR had also been working with other partners in Kosovo such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe and the European Union and had thus established its reputation as a coordinator of human rights work. The Board was interested to learn that the European Union integration agenda in Kosovo provides opportunities for OHCHR to mainstream human rights issues. 37. In the South Caucasus, a region faced with the challenges linked to countries in transition, OHCHR carried out activities to strengthen NHRIs in order to increase local capacity to translate international obligations with regard to human rights protection. The Senior Human Rights Adviser contributed to the working groups established by the Georgian Government to prepare a justice reform strategy, focusing on penitentiary, probation and juvenile justice issues. He also contributed, through a series of regional workshops, to an increased understanding in Azeri society of the need to decriminalize libel and defamation. As a result, a draft law has been developed which is pending consideration in the Parliament. OHCHR continued to promote ratification of human rights treaties and engagement of countries with special procedures mandates. The UNDAF 2010-2015 was accepted by the Government of Azerbaijan and human rights concerns were reflected in the document. The Board noted that in the case of a high level of ratification, the challenge was practical implementation of laws. The Board was heartened to learn that the UPR was an encouraging mechanism for engagement with the countries in the region on human rights. 38. The Board learned of the steady progress in the completion of the first cycle of the human rights masters programme at leading Russian universities and the OHCHR fellowship programme for indigenous peoples. The second cycle is under way and the feedback from students who have studied in European universities is positive. The Board was pleased to learn that civil society was supportive of the programme and was aware of its long-term goals. It also took note of the human rights network for judges established in the Russian Federation for which United Nations jurisprudence in Russian is planned on the website. The High Commissioner is expected to visit next year. The Ombudsman’s office is a key partner in the Russian Federation. 39. The Board was updated on the work in the Republic of Moldova in preparation for and in follow-up to the ratification of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. OHCHR was also instrumental in building the capacity of the Centre for Human Rights (Moldova’s NHRI) through information sessions and expertise, as well as in providing advice on the process of preparing the Centre’s application for accreditation with the International Coordinating Committee of NHRIs. The Republic of Moldova will be reviewed under the UPR in 2011, and OHCHR is presently assisting in the preparation process. The deployment of a human rights adviser in Ukraine in 2011 is being discussed with the RC and the UNCT. 40. Following the violence in Kyrgyzstan in June 2010, human rights staff have been deployed to the South of Kyrgyzstan in the field for a period of one year. The Board was further informed that the Regional Office for Europe in Brussels was working on the issue 2 Throughout this report, all references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population shall be understood in the context of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo. 9