A/HRC/41/21 partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs and a network of non-governmental organizations working on the rights of persons with disabilities, published a brochure on the new law and a series of outreach activities targeting young people, women and persons with disabilities. This helped raise the awareness of relevant human rights principles and standards and contributed to rights holders’ meaningful participation in public processes. 38. In Kenya, with technical support from OHCHR, the draft national policy on public participation has significantly improved and is now consistent with the draft guidelines for States on the effective implementation of the right to participate in public affairs (A/HRC/39/28). It is now with the Attorney General, for presentation to the Cabinet. Once approved, the policy will provide a framework for public participation in policy development and implementation. 39. In Liberia, rights holders increased their meaningful engagement with policy processes that affect their rights under international human rights law and the 2030 Agenda. For example, the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform was established to promote a human rights-based approach to public policies. The Human Rights Forum, which is composed of civil society organizations, participated in the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan and advocated with national authorities for the participation of the rural population in the management and allocation of the national budget. 40. There have also been useful initiatives in South America. Building bridges between public institutions and civil society in the context of human rights-relevant policy and legislation development has become one of the important contributions of OHCHR to government implementation of international human rights obligations and the Sustainable Development Goals. 41. The Colombian territorial development plans provided an opportunity to facilitate the engagement of rights holders in the design of public policies. OHCHR undertook a number of capacity-building activities with civil society actors to enable them to participate meaningfully in these processes. For instance, members of the national human rights platform La Alianza received training on how to formulate municipal and departmental public policies that incorporate a human rights-based approach. The participants in the training formed a network to further disseminate this information and achieve more effective participation in the formulation and oversight of public policies. 42. At the provincial level, through technical support from the OHCHR office in Colombia, the governor of the department of Amazonas and indigenous communities reached agreements to advance implementation of a comprehensive intercultural health system that includes participation in decision-making on infrastructure construction and extension of medical insurance coverage for 90 per cent of the population. 43. In Costa Rica, OHCHR has been supporting indigenous peoples and the Government in establishing a permanent national mechanism of consultation with indigenous peoples, which was approved by the country’s President in 2018. OHCHR also contributes to the implementation of this mechanism by providing support to the 24 indigenous territories in strengthening their internal organization to participate in future consultations on initiatives that may affect the enjoyment of their rights. 44. In Panama, the Government held a dialogue with indigenous authorities from the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca to guarantee the participation of indigenous peoples in the decisionmaking process related to the exploitation of natural resources in the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project. The dialogue contributed to ending violent confrontations between indigenous peoples and security forces and led to a negotiated agreement that included compensation for the communities affected by the project, as well as measures to reduce its social, economic, cultural and environmental impact. Nonetheless, the Ngäbe-Buglé General Congress rejected the agreement and no further progress has been achieved since then. 9