A/HRC/35/27 technical cooperation to assist them to fulfil commitments under the Convention. She issued a press release in which she noted that States must adopt concrete measures to ensure that this innovative and comprehensive agreement translates into real gains for internally displaced persons. 12 In view of the positive example set by the African Union, she will continue to advocate for regional standards for the protection of internally displaced persons to be adopted in other regions, as relevant. 44. At the national level, the Special Rapporteur has been deeply concerned by challenges experienced on the ground by humanitarian and development partners in the delivery of their essential services and assistance. These include challenges regarding access to persons and communities affected by internal displacement, due to security concerns or restrictions imposed by national governments, as well as by non-State armed groups and similar non-State actors, particularly in conflict situations. These obstacles seriously hamper their ability to provide essential and life-saving support. The Special Rapporteur will support and collaborate with United Nations agencies and bodies to advocate strongly for States to fulfil their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law and standards to provide free and unfettered access to all communities in need of assistance. In this context, the Special Rapporteur would also like to give due attention to the role of non-State actors. 45. The Special Rapporteur is alarmed by the inadequate levels of funding available for the essential work of humanitarian and development partners and civil society, especially those on the ground. She applauds the international donor community for its essential funding of humanitarian and development responses globally. She urges donors to maintain and expand essential funding, while incorporating the provisions of the Grand Bargain on humanitarian financing, including flexibility of funding to facilitate new approaches to humanitarian crises, and new ways of working to provide greater attention to durable solutions to internal displacement. A shortfall of funding by some national governments to adequately address their internal displacement situations, as well as mismanagement of funds, poor governance and lack of accountability, have, in some cases, created overreliance on the international community, which is unsustainable in the long term. 46. States have the primary responsibility for promoting and protecting the human rights of internally displaced persons. In December 2016, the Special Rapporteur wrote to Member States and requested their responses to a questionnaire. Among its objectives, the questionnaire sought to identify positive practices in the field of legal, policy and institutional frameworks and activities of States to protect and support internally displaced persons; it also sought to obtain information on measures taken to ensure the active participation of internally displaced persons as partners and not simply beneficiaries, in decisions affecting them and assistance measures. The Special Rapporteur sincerely thanks those States that responded13 and will study the information provided to inform her future work. IV. Thematic priorities 47. In line with her strategic priorities, the Special Rapporteur will dedicate her next thematic reports to the following thematic issues: (a) strengthening the participation of internally displaced persons in responses to internal displacement; (b) ensuring the inclusion of internally displaced persons in transitional justice mechanisms and peace processes as part of durable solutions; (c) improving the protection of internally displaced children; (d) enhancing the role of national human rights institutions and other relevant human rights actors in the protection of internally displaced persons; and (e) addressing 12 13 12 See www.globalprotectioncluster.org/_assets/files/news_and_publications/press-release-un-expertwelcomes-the-establishment-of-the-conference-of-states-parties.pdf. As at 5 April 2017, responses had been received from Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Colombia, El Salvador, Georgia, Guatemala, Iraq, Kuwait, Malta, Mexico, Mauritius, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United States of America and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.