A/HRC/45/60 Mechanism’s office facility resumed on 18 May 2020. Barring any further delays, it is expected that the facility will be ready for occupancy in late 2020. 18. Another priority of the Mechanism in 2019 and 2020 has been to recruit a team of highly experienced and innovative professionals with a variety of skills and expertise in several diverse and important areas. Such personnel will allow the Mechanism to make use of all available technologies and tools to address the challenges it faces, including the lack of access to the territory of Myanmar, the protection of witnesses and information providers, cybersecurity and information security risks, and the wide range of languages spoken by the relevant interlocutors and stakeholders. To that end, the Mechanism developed a recruitment schedule that sought to match the timing of recruitment of personnel with the skills or expertise needed according to its substantive workplan. 19. As a result of its proactive approach towards recruitment, the Mechanism was on target to meet its recruitment objectives for 2020. As of March 2020, the Mechanism had recruited personnel with expertise in the following areas, among others: international criminal law; international human rights law; international humanitarian law; criminal investigation and prosecution; information system management; storage and preservation of information, documentation and evidence; military matters; sexual and gender-based crimes and violence; crimes against children; and information technology and security. 20. As of June 2020, the Mechanism had filled over half of the total positions approved by the General Assembly for 2020 and had commenced the recruitment processes for a further quarter of them. 21. The Mechanism has also developed an internal training programme, with the aim of continually deepening the expertise of its personnel in highly specialized and rapidly evolving technical areas. Given the present need for remote working, the Mechanism has arranged online training sessions to keep its personnel updated on relevant developments in those technical areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. B. Engagement with relevant stakeholders and public outreach 22. As stated in the Mechanism’s previous report to the Council, public outreach activities are essential to raise awareness and understanding of the complex work of the Mechanism. Regular communication can help to secure the confidence and cooperation of relevant stakeholders, and greater awareness of the Mechanism’s work could deter some perpetrators from committing new crimes. Outreach activities are also important to prevent misunderstandings and misinformation about the Mechanism and to manage expectations about what the Mechanism can and cannot do. Among others, relevant stakeholders include any Member State, regional and intergovernmental organization, United Nations entity, civil society actor, corporate and private sector entity and individual that possesses or is likely to possess information, documentation and evidence that is relevant to the Mechanism’s mandate or that can otherwise facilitate its work. 23. To that end, the Mechanism developed a strategy for its engagement and public outreach in order to raise awareness about the Mechanism, its mandate and its work among all relevant stakeholders. The strategy includes a multi-pronged approach to communications with the various categories of stakeholders and the dissemination of information regarding the Mechanism’s work. The Mechanism also conducted a survey of over 30 civil society actors in the Asia-Pacific region in order to assess the level of understanding among civil society actors vis-à-vis the mandate and work of the Mechanism. 24. As part of the Mechanism’s engagement and public outreach efforts, the Mechanism has consistently engaged with and provided regular briefings to representatives of relevant stakeholders in Geneva and New York at the ambassadorial and working levels. The Mechanism has also provided briefings to representatives of Member States in their capital cities and to regional and intergovernmental organizations, and it has engaged in dialogue with United Nations entities and civil society actors and non-governmental organizations based in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere. 25. In November and December 2019, the Head of the Mechanism led a delegation to the Asia-Pacific region in order to meet with relevant national authorities and representatives of United Nations entities, with a view to introducing the Mechanism’s 5