A/HRC/26/24 international human rights mechanisms to promote the human rights of persons with disabilities. The aim of the Fund is to sponsor projects led by United Nations Country Teams to develop the capacities of national stakeholders, particularly governments and organizations of persons with disabilities, for the effective implementation of the Convention, including through promoting disability-inclusive internationally agreed development goals. A first call for proposals launched in May 2012 led to the identification of 11 joint United Nations programmes benefiting a total of 14 countries in multiple areas of Convention implementation. The projects are described below. 11. To ensure adequate coordination and appropriate attention to the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, OHCHR has an Advisor on Human Rights and Disability, based in Geneva, in the Human Rights and Economic and Social Issues Section of the Research and Right to Development Division. The Advisor’s mandate is broad and includes mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities in OHCHR and generally in the United Nations; providing technical assistance to States, National Human Rights Institutions and civil society organizations, and promoting ratification and implementation of the Convention and its Optional Protocol at the national level. His team currently consists of one additional person8 and has a small amount of extra-budgetary funds to perform its activities. The team provides expert advice to OHCHR field presences and directly to States on demand. The limited availability of resources poses a challenge to advancing the agenda on the rights of persons with disabilities in a coordinated and sustained manner. 12. OHCHR serves as Secretariat of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The role of the Secretariat, which comes under the Groups in Focus Section of the Human Rights Treaties Division, is to support the Committee in performing its tasks. This treaty body provides, in its concluding observations, substantial guidance to States Parties to the Convention on its implementation and the domestication of its provisions. These recommendations should be a primary source of consultation when providing technical cooperation and assistance, in particular when they refer to legal and policy harmonization. The Committee has, to date, held 11 sessions and reviewed the following 13 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Hungary, Paraguay, the Peoples’ Republic of China, Peru, Spain, Sweden and Tunisia.9 Regarding technical assistance, the Committee is encouraging countries to engage with its members to increase cooperation, in particular, on legal and policy reform and design under the Convention. 13. While not exhaustive, the following sections provide an overview of the type of activities in the area of technical cooperation and advisory services that are supported by OHCHR and/or by relevant international partners at the country and regional levels. A. Africa 1. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) 14. Cameroon: OHCHR has participated in activities aiming at raising awareness among persons with disabilities of their right to participate in political life on an equal basis with others. As a result of the advocacy efforts of OHCHR, an Election Management Body has made polling stations accessible for persons with disabilities during elections in October 2011. 8 9 Junior Professional Officer provided by Finland. This position ends in November 2014. http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/TreatyBodyExternal/SessionsList.aspx?Treaty=CRPD. 5