A/HRC/13/44 Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu attended the workshop and adopted the Samoa Declaration, in which they recognized the importance of taking necessary measures to establish NHRIs compliant with the Paris Principles. “Making it happen”, a document incorporating practical steps to establish an NHRI tailored to the needs of the Pacific Island States, was elaborated. 56. The Fourteenth Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Forum was held in Amman from 3 to 6 August 2009, hosted by the National Centre for Human Rights of Jordan with technical and financial co-sponsorship from OHCHR. The key themes of the meeting were the impact of corruption on the realization of human rights as well as religious beliefs. The Forum’s Councillors also discussed suspending the Forum accreditation process and using the International Coordinating Committee decisions as evidence of compliance with the Paris Principles for the purpose of membership in the Asia-Pacific Forum. 4. Europe 57. OHCHR participated in the 2nd meeting between the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Group of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, in Vienna, on 29 June 2009. The meeting focused on the Agency’s annual work programme, the European Group’s strategic plan for 2009–2010, follow-up on discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and homophobia, and on the Agency study on the capacity and powers of NHRIs in the European Union. 58. OHCHR participated in the meeting of the Coordinating Committee of the European Group, in Vienna, on 30 June 2009. The meeting focused on International Coordinating Committee developments, the follow-up to the Durban Review Conference, and NHRI engagement with the Agency for Fundamental Rights and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. 59. OHCHR and the UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre organized a workshop in Geneva, held from 24 to 26 November 2009, on the role of NHRIs and cooperation with the United Nations human rights machinery, in order to strengthen the capacity of NHRIs from the Commonwealth of Independent States and Croatia to interact with the international human rights system, namely, in following up on the implementation of the universal periodic review, treaty bodies and special procedures’ recommendations. OHCHR and the UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre will continue their joint efforts to strengthen the capacity of NHRIs, through subregional workshops. 5. Middle East and North Africa 60. OHCHR assisted in the organization of the fifth Conference of the Arab National Human Rights Institutions, held in Amman on 8 and 9 March 2009, on “Elections in the Arab World and Their Impact on Human Rights”. A total of 80 participants, including representatives of the NHRIs of Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, as well as of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. NGOs, international organizations and United Nations agencies attended and adopted a document to assist NHRIs in implementing a human rights-based approach during elections. 61. The United Nations Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre for SouthWest Asia and the Arab Region, in Qatar, held an inaugural workshop on the international human rights system in Doha on 27 and 28 May 2009. A total of 60 participants, including representatives of the NHRIs of Afghanistan, Algeria, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the Occupied Palestinian Territory attended the workshop. 62. On 11 November 2009, Bahrain issued a Royal Order to establish an NHRI. OHCHR provided technical assistance to the Government in 2008, and is following 10 GE.10-10269