A/HRC/10/57 page 3 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The Secretary-General submitted to the Commission on Human Rights and subsequently the Human Rights Council an annual report on technical cooperation in the field of human rights, reflecting the discussions of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights. In the light of Commission on Human Rights resolution 2004/81, the subsequent analytical report on the progress and concrete achievements made (E/CN.4/2006/104), and obstacles encountered in the implementation of the programme of advisory services and technical cooperation in the field of human rights and on the operation and administration of the Voluntary Fund, the Council, in its decision 2/102, requested the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue with the fulfilment of their activities, in accordance with all previous decisions adopted by the Commission on Human Rights, and to update the relevant reports and studies. The present report is therefore submitted as an update of the previous report (A/HRC/7/74), and focuses on the work of the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund. II. BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTARY FUND FOR TECHNICAL COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS 2. The members of the Board of Trustees are appointed by the Secretary-General to advise the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on streamlining and rationalizing the working methods and procedures of the technical cooperation programme. Its current members are Mary Chinery-Hesse (Ghana), chairperson; Viacheslav Bakhmin (Russian Federation); Monica Pinto (Argentina); William Schabas (Canada); and Deepika Udagama (Sri Lanka). Ms. Chinery-Hesse and Mr. Bakhmin concluded their mandates at the end of 2008. The process of identification of two new members has been initiated. 3. In recent years, the Board has moved away from detailed revision of individual projects to advising OHCHR on policy orientation, global vision and strategy at a broader programme level. The evolution of the role played by the Board has been appreciated by the Office, which benefits greatly from its experience and wisdom, particularly during the recent reforms within the United Nations and OHCHR and the Office’s strengthened country engagement. 4. The Board holds its meetings twice a year. The twenty-eighth session was held in May 2008 the twenty-ninth in November 2008. At the sessions, the Board continued its examination of various components of the United Nations Human Rights Programme on Technical Cooperation funded by the Voluntary Fund. The twenty-ninth session was timed to partly coincide with the annual OHCHR consultation with heads of field presences, which gave the Board the opportunity to learn first-hand from field representatives about the implementation of technical cooperation activities on the ground. In the framework of annual consultations, Board members also attended a joint session between OHCHR field representatives and the Secretary-General, during which the challenges faced by human rights work in the field were discussed. During the two sessions, the Board members had the opportunity of a brief exchange of views with a number of Member States and the President of the Human Rights Council, and also held discussions with the High Commissioner and Deputy High Commissioner. In its meetings with OHCHR staff, including field representatives, the Board focused on the ongoing