A/HRC/23/61
more generally, the Council. The secretariat will thereafter resume its pre-session briefing
activities on a regular basis in forthcoming years.
V. Conclusions
22.
The Voluntary Fund for Participation in the Universal Periodic Review has
been used to finance the participation of developing countries, and in particular least
developed countries and small island developing States, in the sessions of the Working
Group on the Universal Periodic Review at which they are considered. Assistance has
also been provided to those same Member States to enable them to participate in the
adoption of their outcome document by the Human Rights Council at its plenary
sessions. The Fund is also intended for the organization of field-based preparatory
briefings to facilitate the participation of Member States in the universal periodic
review.
23.
With regard to travel arrangements, while the parameters for financing the
participation of developing country Member States in the sessions of the universal
periodic review are consistent with established practice for the General Assembly, the
post facto reimbursement procedure has proven unsatisfactory. Although some
progress has been made since the previous report, further improvements are required.
As of the second cycle of the universal periodic review, OHCHR has begun to fund
two members of delegations of least developed countries and small island developing
States travelling to Geneva for the review of their countries, instead of only one, as
was previously the case. Efficiency would be greatly improved and simplification
achieved, however, if OHCHR were authorized to make travel arrangements for
Member States requesting such assistance.
24.
Pre-session briefings organized by the secretariat were briefly placed on hold in
2012 owing to an internal management review aimed at assessing the feasibility of
merging the two trust funds established in accordance with Human Rights Council
resolution 6/17. In July 2013, a preparatory briefing will be held in Mauritius, with a
focus on the specific needs of least developed countries and small island developing
States and their engagement with the Council, in particular the universal periodic
review. The secretariat is planning to resume a regular calendar of preparatory
briefings.
8
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