A/HRC/40/3 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 48/141 and highlights activities undertaken by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) between 1 December 2017 and 30 November 2018 in support of international human rights mechanisms and in the areas of development, peace and security, non-discrimination, accountability and participation. 2. As of 30 November 2018, OHCHR had 71 presences worldwide. In 2018, the previous High Commissioner visited Ethiopia, Fiji, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights visited Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Yemen. 3. The year 2018 marked the seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. OHCHR implemented a year-long campaign to promote the principles of the Declaration, engaging a wide range of audiences across the world and reflecting on human rights progress to date. II. Activities of the Office of the High Commissioner A. 1. International human rights mechanisms Treaty bodies 4. OHCHR continued to facilitate the work of the human rights treaty bodies. It supported the reviews of 141 State party reports; the adoption of views and decisions on 232 individual communications; visits to 7 State parties by the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the elaboration of 3 general comments; and the initiation of 3 confidential inquiries. The Office registered 274 complaints by individuals alleging violations of their human rights, but inadequate resources prevented timely action. 5. The second biennial report of the Secretary-General on the status of the human rights treaty body system (A/73/309) confirmed the pressing need for additional resources to ensure its effective functioning. The 2020 review will be a crucial opportunity for addressing the situation. 2. Human Rights Council 6. OHCHR continued to support the efforts of the Human Rights Council, which held a total of 140 meetings on a broad array of chronic and emerging human rights issues, and to respond to human rights crises. 7. OHCHR also continued to support the commissions of inquiry on Burundi and the Syrian Arab Republic; the group of eminent international and regional experts on Yemen; the commission on human rights in South Sudan; the team of independent experts on the Kasai region, Democratic Republic of the Congo; and the fact-finding mission on Myanmar. It also supported the commission of inquiry established in June 2018 to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip. Pursuant to resolution 39/2 of the Human Rights Council, OHCHR prepared, in collaboration with the Office of Legal Affairs, for the establishment of the independent mechanism for Myanmar. 8. OHCHR also supported the endeavours of the Human Rights Council Bureau to increase the efficiency of the Council and therefore its ability to manage the exponential growth in its work. 9. The increasing support of States for the Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to Support the Participation of Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States in the work of the Human Rights Council, administered by OHCHR, enabled 25 2