A/HRC/45/CRP.10 50. In 2017, following the release of the HRAP Opinion on the case, the Secretary General of the United Nations established a Trust Fund charged with implementing community-based assistance projects, primarily in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North, South and Leposavić, which would benefit the affected communities. Contributions to the Fund were to be made on voluntary basis and the Trust Fund was not intended to offer any individual compensation to the victims, contrary to HRAP recommendation. SRSG Tanin conducted high-level meetings in Geneva, including with then-High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, to develop guidance for the Secretary-General in responding to the HRAP conclusions and findings. While the main effort in approaching donors lies with United Nations Headquarters in New York, SRSG Tanin appealed personally to all Member States in Geneva as well as to multiple Ambassadors on the ground in Kosovo to solicit contributions from their respective Governments. 51. The established Trust Fund has however never been operational due to lack of resources. On 5 October 2018, in response to a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the United Nations by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances and wastes (toxics)51, the Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations confirmed that despite targeted outreach and resource mobilization campaigns by a United Nations Task Force encouraging contributions to the Trust Fund, ”no contribution has yet been received from the international community in response to these appeals.”52 In response to a subsequent letter by the Special Rapporteur53, no concrete details on plans to mobilize resources were provided.54 52. In June 2019, the Secretary General of the United Nations presented a report the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, which stated that an initial contribution was received by the Trust Fund in May 2019 55. This was certainly a welcome development although the contribution in question was very modest (US$ 10,000) and has not been followed by any new contributions since. In response to a letter addressed to him by the Special Rapporteur, the Secretary General of the United Nations agreed that while this initial contribution was welcome, it fell short of the resources required to address the basic needs of the affected communities. Efforts to mobilize additional resources, he added, including in follow-up to his appeal addressed to a number of Member States and other partners in June 2017, will therefore continue.56 53. In May 2020, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Head of UNMIK, affirmed continued support efforts in raising awareness about the importance of committing sustainable funding to the Trust Fund. According to the letter, both UNMIK and the United Nations Kosovo Team (UNKT) have increased their engagement with Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities, in cooperation with members of civil society organizations and international partners working with these communities. UNMIK involvement includes confidence-building projects and programmatic activities, projects and activities supporting non-majority communities at large, as well as protection and specialized integrated services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 54. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the fact that the United Nations Secretariat continues to follow up with the Member States and organizations to encourage positive responses to the Secretary-General's appeal. Besides efforts to mobilize resources to the Trust Fund, the UNMIK and the United Nations Kosovo Team continue to direct available resources to support the RAE communities through programmatic activities and dedicated projects. 51 52 53 54 55 56 See https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/ToxicWastes/LetterSGAshkaliEgyptian Communities.pdf. See https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/ToxicWastes/ResponseKosovo5Oct2018.pdf. See https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/ToxicWastes/Communications/ OL_OTH_23.11.2018_69.2018.pdf. See https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/ToxicWastes/Communications/ OL_OTH_24.12.2018_69.2018_Response.pdf. See https://unmik.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/s_2019_461.pdf . See letter dated 4 October 2019 https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Environment/ToxicWastes/Pages/LeadContaminationKosovo.aspx. 11