A/HRC/20/34 II. Activities of the Board of Trustees A. Thirty-fourth session 6. The thirty-fourth session of the Board of Trustees was held in Burundi, on 26 and 27 April 2011, and in Kenya, on 28 and 29 April 2011. This was the first time in the history of the Board that a session was organized outside Geneva. The field mission provided the Board with an objective view of the real needs of field presences and a first-hand insight into the use of the Voluntary Fund with regard to achievements, thematic priorities, constraints and challenges. 7. The Board discussed technical cooperation activities by the OHCHR presence in Burundi, activities by the Regional Human Rights Adviser for the Great Lakes, as well as activities by the Human Rights Adviser in Kenya. The Board also met with different national authorities, United Nations partners, diplomatic missions and civil society organizations in Burundi and Kenya. The Board received also an overview of the human rights situation in different parts of Somalia. 8. During the field visit, the Board discussed various transitional justice programmes and mechanisms established in Burundi, Kenya and Somalia. With regard to transitional justice, the Board stressed that the challenge was to ensure that the right issues were being addressed. In this regard, the Board noted that a sustainable approach to institution-building was fundamental to ensure that a strong justice system was in place, taking into consideration the specific situation of each country. The Board was also briefed on the various thematic priorities addressed by the field presences in the countries visited, including thematic strategies relating to combatting 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. 9. The Board is of the view that its first field visit was very fruitful and should be followed by similar sessions in others countries. This would help to identify priority areas for technical cooperation and best practices. B. Thirty-fifth session 10. The thirty-fifth session of the Board of Trustees was held in Geneva from 31 October to 3 November 2011. At the session, the Board was updated on the OHCHR 20122013 management plan, in particular with regard to thematic priorities and the streamlining of planning. 11. The Board also received an overview on the use of the online performance monitoring system, which was designed to monitor and report on the results of the work of OHCHR. The Board expressed its appreciation with regard to the implementation of the computer-based performance monitoring system, and hopes that a long-term capacitybuilding programme will enable OHCHR staff to use the system to improve the quality of their planning and monitoring and, ultimately, their impact on the ground. 12. The Board was updated on the implementation of activities funded by the Voluntary Fund in the framework of the OHCHR management plan across all regions, the achievements, the partnerships on the ground with civil society, Governments, United Nations partners and country teams. The Board was informed of the strategies being developed to address the challenges faced, including those in the regions of Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and Central Asia, Latin 4