A/HRC/44/28 attention on rule of law priorities in countries most in need of assistance, with a view to preventing conflict and sustaining peace. In Iraq and Thailand, OHCHR observed trials and investigations, including of human rights defenders and political activists, to assess compliance with fair trial guarantees. The Office supports legislative reforms aimed at ensuring that members of the judiciary and law enforcement officers comply with human rights law. 5. Strengthening national and regional human rights institutions National human rights institutions that have A status, indicating full compliance with the Paris Principles, play an important role in the protection and promotion of human rights. Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 39/17, OHCHR organized an intersessional consultation on the experiences and practices of national human rights institutions in working to support the establishment and maintenance of inclusive societies and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda (see A/HRC/41/30). OHCHR provided technical assistance to establish and strengthen national human rights institutions. As indicator 16.a.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals is the existence of an independent national human rights institution in compliance with the Paris Principles by 2030, the advice of OHCHR is increasingly solicited. Consequently, in 2019, OHCHR conducted needs assessments of the national human rights institutions of the Philippines and of Tajikistan for technical cooperation projects. The Office also provided legal advice to Barbados, Botswana, Djibouti, Kuwait, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan on establishing national human rights institutions. OHCHR performs secretariat functions for the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and its Subcommittee on Accreditation, and provides substantive and financial assistance to the Global Alliance and its regional networks. Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 34/17, OHCHR organized a workshop on regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights, including a thematic discussion on the role of regional arrangements in combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and in the implementation of the commitments in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Pursuant to the same resolution, an eight-week programme was created for staff of regional mechanisms to gain experience in the United Nations human rights system. Visiting staff received insights into OHCHR, the Human Rights Council and the mechanisms. 6. Establishing and strengthening national mechanisms for reporting on and follow-up to recommendations from international human rights mechanisms Member States are increasingly working towards establishing or strengthening their national mechanisms for reporting on and follow-up to recommendations from international human rights mechanisms and sharing relevant experience, leading to the formal establishment of such mechanisms; reducing the number of reports not submitted to the treaty bodies; improving understanding of the need to consult with national human rights institutions and civil society; and developing plans for the implementation of human rights recommendations and of human rights indicators at the national level. Countries are exploring the use of human rights data for reporting on their achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.11 The importance of this work was recognized by the Council in its resolution 42/30, in which it requested OHCHR to organize five regional consultations to exchange experiences and good practices relating to the establishment and development of national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up. The national recommendations tracking database was developed to provide States with a tool to help compile, cluster, prioritize and track their implementation of recommendations from international human rights mechanisms. OHCHR developed this generic database based on the support it had provided previously on the development of national databases in Paraguay, Samoa and Uganda. The national recommendations tracking database can be customized by States to support national reporting internally and externally, for global and 11 As encouraged by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 36/29. 11