A/HRC/20/34 America and the Caribbean. The Board was also briefed on the situation of human rights components of United Nations peace missions and on the situation of country offices. It acknowledged the challenges faced in all these different countries and welcomed the achievements made in the field. 13. In closing the session, the Board met with representatives of Member States and briefed them on the deliberations and major outcomes of the session, in a spirit of transparency and in keeping with its tradition. It highlighted the focus of its work, namely that of providing an oversight of priorities in the use of the Voluntary Fund, as well as guidance and advice on OHCHR technical cooperation activities in general. III. Objectives, activities and results of the Voluntary Fund 14. The overarching objective of the work supported by the Voluntary Fund remains that of promoting institution-building and institutional changes for the benefit of rightsholders. The objective is implemented through various approaches, including operationalizing thematic expertise, ensuring the linkage between protection and technical cooperation, the provision of support and guidance through the human rights components of United Nations peace missions and to United Nations country teams, including the placement of human rights advisers. 15. Technical cooperation in the field of human rights, as supported by the Voluntary Fund, has developed greatly since its establishment, including owing to a greater number of institutions and actors playing a role in human rights. From ad hoc seminars and workshops in early years, the activities sponsored by the Voluntary Fund now cover multi-component institutional capacity-building projects developed as a result of an in-country assessment of needs with the involvement of various stakeholders. 16. At the end of 2011, the Voluntary Fund offered assistance in a wide range of substantive activities undertaken in 34 different countries and territories. Projects are formulated and implemented with the broadest possible participation of all elements of national societies, including civil society and national institutions (the judicial, legislative and executive branches of Government). The projects reflect national development objectives. Assistance includes, inter alia, support at the national level to incorporate international human rights standards into national laws, policies and practices; the establishment of more sustainable national capacities to adhere to these standards; strengthened administration of justice; greater emphasis on the development of human rights education programmes; the establishment of responsive national human rights institutions; the deployment of human rights advisers in United Nations country teams; and the development of national plans of action for the promotion and protection of human rights. Importantly, non-governmental organizations are increasingly involved in technical cooperation activities. 17. Technical cooperation activities implemented through the Voluntary Fund have been increasingly linked with international human rights monitoring mechanisms (see paragraphs 18 to 31 below) following the spirit that human rights protection and promotion activities are intrinsically linked and inform each other (see also annexes I and II below). 5