A/HRC/29/48 10. The Board was pleased by the quality of information and availability of the secretariat to provide specific reports with relevant information on the use of the Fund facilitated by latest upgrades and full use of the performance monitoring system across OHCHR. The presentation by the secretariat of the specific programmes financed by the Fund by region and relevant to the various thematic strategies were complemented by briefings and discussions with staff from the Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Service, Programme Support Management Services and the Donor and External Relations Section, who provided additional updates on the status of all financial and operational aspects of the Fund. The Board discussed with the relevant services of the Office the low level of contributions to the Fund compared with its increasing requirements, which in 2014 obliged the High Commissioner to allocate $8 million to the Fund from unearmarked contributions to OHCHR in order to close the existing funding gap under the Fund. 11. The Board was invited to provide inputs for the publication Civil Society Space and the United Nations Human Rights System: A Practical Guide for Civil Society produced by the Civil Society Section of OHCHR. The aim of the guide is to highlight issues relating to the work of civil society actors, with an overview of the conditions and environment needed for a free and independent civil society, including relevant international human rights standards for freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly and the right to participate in public affairs. The guide includes examples of how Governments and civil society actors have worked together to develop space for civil society to carry out its work to advance the enjoyment of all human rights (civil, cultural, economic, political and social) for all. Some of the examples included in the guide were made possible by the support provided by the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation to local partners. One example was the development of the 2012 Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists in Mexico. During its visit to Tunisia in 2013, the Board had the opportunity to discuss with local partners the participation of civil society bodies in a number of initiatives during the democratic transition, including in the preparation of laws on accession to a number of international human rights treaties. The strengthening of the capacities of civil society actors to engage with international human rights mechanisms should be accompanied by instruments to respond adequately to the rise in demand. This is particularly important in the context of the regrettably increasing number of cases of reported reprisals against civil society actors in many parts of the world. 12. The Board was briefed by the Rapid Response and Peace Missions Support Section and staff on the support provided through the human rights components in United Nations peace missions. Given the complexity of such situations, the support from components is notable. The experiences shared from the work in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti should be used to continue to raise the profile of components during negotiations on establishing mission mandates. The Board notes the usual practice of not allocating funds missions of this type to technical cooperation programmes focused on human rights components owing to competing priorities. This is an issue that the Board believes should be revisited and carefully analysed The Board is interested in improving its knowledge of the technical cooperation programmes of these components and is exploring possibilities to visit a peacekeeping mission in the near future. 13. The Board held discussions with relevant staff members from the Middle East and North Africa Section and the heads of OHCHR field presences in the region by means of teleconferences on relevant developments in the region since its earlier visits to several OHCHR presences. The work of the Office in the region clearly illustrates the importance of drawing on all the capacities of the Office so that technical cooperation and advisory services are based firmly on a comprehensive and coherent understanding of the particular conditions on the ground, a result of systematic monitoring and analysis. The opportunity for measurable success in the implementation of technical cooperation programmes is greater when a comprehensive strategy integrating all relevant components of the work of 5