A/HRC/23/16 B. Thirty-seventh session 26. The thirty-seventh session of the Board of Trustees was held in Nouakchott on 28 and 29 January 2013, and in Tunis from 30 January to 2 February 2013. This was the second time that a session of the Board was organized outside Geneva. The two field missions provided the Board with an opportunity to obtain a direct and personal view of the actual needs of the country offices in North Africa. In Mauritania, the Board was able to gather first-hand insight into the use of the Voluntary Fund with regard to achievements, thematic priorities, constraints and challenges. In Tunis, while the country office does not yet receive funds from the Fund, the Board observed in situ the challenges and opportunities in the area of technical cooperation that the opening of a new country office presented. 27. The Board discussed technical cooperation activities by the OHCHR presence in Mauritania during meetings with different national authorities, United Nations partners, diplomatic missions and civil society organizations in the country. This included visits to selected projects where the Board received briefings on the specific situations of human rights to be addressed by the technical advice and services provided by OHCHR. In Tunisia, the Board observed in particular the importance for a new office to be rapidly established in the political environment and context, and to develop a flexible programme that is able to adjust to the changing environment and needs while keeping its main focus on protection and promotion. 28. During the field visits, the Board discussed support provided to various justice and accountability programmes and mechanisms in Mauritania and on transitional justice in Tunisia. The OHCHR technical cooperation programme was found to be particularly relevant in the two countries, particularly in the light of the politically complex situation in both of them. In Mauritania, efforts and support to address accountability for the passif humanitaire2 and to ensure the total eradication of slavery in the country were the focus of attention during discussions with all stakeholders. In Tunisia, the Board was particularly well informed of the support of OHCHR in the areas of constitutional development, the administration of justice and law enforcement transformation. With regard to justice and accountability, the Board stressed that the challenge in Mauritania was still to ensure that technical assistance supports current efforts to address remaining tensions and inequalities between communities. In Tunisia, OHCHR is making critical efforts to support transitional justice, institutional capacity-building for the administration of justice in full compliance with international human rights standards, and the promotion of joint United Nations efforts to achieve a human rights focus in the current Constitution-building exercise. With regard to law enforcement institution-building, the Board was of the view that training efforts should be constantly reassessed to ensure that the right issues were being addressed effectively with a methodology that provides the expertise, practicality and continuity required. 29. The Board was also briefed on the various thematic priorities addressed by field presences in the countries visited, including thematic strategies relating to discrimination; combating impunity and strengthening the rule of law; the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights; the promotion of democracy and good governance; and the strengthening of cooperation with international and regional human rights mechanisms and national human rights institutions. The Board found that OHCHR would benefit from strengthening efforts to translate the OHCHR gender and women’s rights 2 Term used to refer to human rights violations committed in Mauritania between 1988 and 1992. 7