A/HRC/34/74 19. The Board was as struck by the challenges ahead as by what has been achieved in the country to date. In the continuing context of crisis and a huge reform agenda, the progress that has been made should be sustained, and new challenges met and addressed. Several groups expressed their concern that, without continued support from the Office, there was a real risk of backsliding. The Board shares these concerns, and is of the view that the commitment to Guatemala and the strategy and modes of operation of the Office should be maintained and further strengthened. Some of the challenges remaining relate to transitional justice in Guatemala. While the Board was pleased to learn of the positive developments with regard to transitional justice, it also became aware of the technical support still required and how far there is to go before the national objectives of justice can be achieved. High expectations have been placed on the Office and the important role it should continue to play in this key area, where thematic expertise should be boosted, possibly by strengthening the support currently available. 20. In Guatemala, the Board was able to obtain a deeper insight into the importance and relevance of its mandate relating to both the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation and the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review. During its meetings and in discussions held with other OHCHR representatives during the session, the Board noted that, although Guatemala is not currently a recipient of the latter fund, the implementation of review recommendations was a fully integrated aspect of the programmes offered by the Office, as was work related to implementation of the recommendations made by other human rights mechanisms. OHCHR is clearly better placed to provide expert technical assistance in this regard. 21. The Board was informed by several United Nations agencies and programmes operating in Guatemala on how they relied on the information provided by the country office and on advice concerning international human rights standards, in order to ensure full compliance in supporting the State’s efforts to fulfil its international human rights obligations. The role of OHCHR in United Nations country teams, and particularly in developing and implementing the human rights-based United Nations programmatic tools, such as the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, is now more significant than ever in the light of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In a country like Guatemala, where overcoming discrimination and exclusion continues to feature prominently in all national and United Nations efforts, leaving no one behind while ensuring full respect of human rights is an inevitable responsibility. The Office is seen as the expert point of reference and the main facilitator in this important endeavour with all key partners in the country. 22. The human rights impact and implications of business activities, and in particular the challenges involved in ensuring mechanisms for informed and meaningful consultations with affected local communities prior to any approval of a development project, including in particular marginalized and disadvantaged persons, are issues of particular relevance to the Board. This is an area where systematic documentation and the sharing of good practices across countries, and even globally, are of crucial importance in order to continue to provide effective technical cooperation support on the ground. In several of the countries it visited, the Board was informed on the role that the Office could play, and is expected to play, in supporting meaningful consultation processes, in particular in relation to development projects. The Office has, in general, managed to advance its capacities in providing guidance on development, for example on land-related issues (relying also on the experience of the country office in Cambodia). In the next programming cycle, it would be worth investing, with other relevant partners, such as the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Development Programme, in the assembly of good practices and in providing evidence-based assistance in consultations with indigenous peoples and also in helping businesses to fulfil their human rights responsibilities more effectively. 7