A/HRC/42/63
VI. Technical assistance and capacity-building
86.
The Security Council, in its resolution 2429 (2018), requested the Government of
the Sudan to engage in discussions with OHCHR on the establishment of a country office
with a full mandate for human rights protection and promotion. The establishment of a
country office was one of the benchmarks for the UNAMID exit from Darfur proposed by
the Secretary-General to the Security Council. In its resolution 39/22, the Human Rights
Council conditioned the termination of the mandate of the Independent Expert on the
opening of a country office of OHCHR in the Sudan that was declared operational by both
OHCHR and the Government of the Sudan (see paras. 1–2 above). OHCHR informed the
Independent Expert that a proposal had been made to establish a fully mandated country
office in the Sudan, following a technical mission to the country. However, there had been
no subsequent negotiations with the Government due to the developments on the ground,
which did not allow for the deployment of an OHCHR negotiating team to the country.
87.
UNAMID continued providing support to national institutions, government entities
and the army. It established state liaison functions in four Darfur states (East Darfur, West
Darfur, North Darfur and South Darfur). Fifty-eight staff, including police advisors of
UNAMID, have been co-located with nine United Nations agencies to strengthen the
capacities of national partners and national human rights institutions, namely in respect of
rule of law (police, justice and corrections), to prevent a relapse into conflict, and to
provide durable solutions for the displaced populations and host communities.
88.
In the state liaison functions areas, human rights remain a critical tool in the process
of improving livelihoods and enhancing stabilization and development through the
integration of rights-based approaches, capacity-building education and infrastructure
programmes. Since January, human rights staff have been co-located with agencies, in
particular the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), working in the areas
of operation covered by the state liaison functions, in order to support national partners,
including government and justice entities, the national commission of human rights and
civil society and community-based organizations.
89.
The rolling out of the state liaison functions offers a great opportunity for delivering
technical cooperation and capacity enhancement. Through this platform, 120 Government
of the Sudan police officers have been trained in compliance with international standards of
arrest, use of force, detention and treatment of persons in custody. 120 officers from the
Sudanese Armed Forces were trained in international human rights law and international
humanitarian law, as well as in the issue of conflict-related sexual violence. The platform
has also enabled the training of 240 rural court judges in Darfur on the effective
implementation of their mandate, resulting in an increase in the number of disputes
adjudicated by rural courts. The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission and the
national commission for human rights have been supported with training on a human rightsbased approach.
90.
On 10 December, a framework of cooperation agreement was signed between
UNAMID and the national commission for human rights. The framework sets out key areas
for support and engagement, including on human rights monitoring and reporting, human
rights education, institutional capacity-building, reporting for and follow-up to the universal
periodic review, rule of law measures and transitional justice processes. UNAMID donated
12 vehicles to the national commission for human rights to support the commission’s
decentralization efforts, ease its mobility challenges and strengthen plans to operationalize
its branch offices in Darfur and countrywide.
91.
UNAMID established a human rights capacity-building partnership with the
Sudanese Armed Forces, providing a series of targeted training sessions for the senior
leadership of the Armed Forces. UNAMID further engaged the Darfur Bar Association and
several civil society organizations, building their capacity in a bid to strengthen the national
protection system and enabling national ownership of human rights protection engagements.
92.
UNAMID further established a human rights-mainstreaming partnership with the
national commission for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, aimed at
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