A/HRC/19/50 I. Introduction 1. In its resolution 6/17 adopted on 28 September 2007, and entitled “Establishment of funds for the universal periodic review mechanism of the Human Rights Council” the Human Rights Council requested “the Secretary-General to establish a new financial mechanism called the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance to be administered jointly with the universal periodic review Voluntary Trust Fund […] in order to provide, in conjunction with multilateral funding mechanisms, a source of financial and technical assistance to help countries implement recommendations emanating from the universal periodic review in consultation with, and with the consent of, the country concerned”. 2. The Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance (VFFTA) has since been established and States have commenced making contributions to this Fund. As of 23 November 2011, seven States have either contributed or pledged to contribute to the VFFTA. These contributions are annexed hereto. 3. In its resolution 16/22 adopted on 25 March 2011, and entitled “Enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights”, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) “to seek the views of States and relevant stakeholders on the contribution of the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance, in particular with regard to its sustainability and accessibility, to the implementation of recommendations accepted by States as part of their universal periodic review that require financial support, and also requests the Office to provide the Council with a compilation of those views at its nineteenth session.” 4. Pursuant to the aforementioned request, OHCHR prepared a questionnaire which was made available via an online survey on 5 October 2011, and which is annexed hereto. An invitation was extended to States and relevant Stakeholders1 to participate in this survey, which closed on 4 November 2011. Ten States and 11 stakeholders participated in the survey.2 A compilation and summary of the responses appear below. II. Compilation of responses from States and stakeholders A. On how the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance could contribute to the implementation of accepted recommendations 5. Colombia stated that a lack of financial and technical resources to implement recommendations hindered the identification and delineation of accomplishment strategies, goals and progress indicators. The VFFTA could support States in these endeavours, which are needed for the continuous and organized follow-up of progress on the implementation of the recommendations. The VFFTA could also be useful in supporting the dissemination of the recommendations and promoting awareness at all levels, as well as supporting States 1 2 Stakeholders include “NGOs, national human rights institutions, human rights defenders, academic institutions and research institutes, regional organizations, as well as civil society representatives” (See “Universal Periodic Review: information and guidelines for relevant stakeholders’ written submissions”; http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/UPR/TechnicalGuideEN.pdf) The questionnaires for Algeria and Tunisia, as well as seven Stakeholders were incomplete. 3