A/HRC/18/2 Guided by the purposes and principles of the United Nations, particularly with regard to achieving international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, Reaffirming the obligation of States under the Charter of the United Nations to promote universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Recognizing that the enhancement of international cooperation is essential for the effective promotion and protection of human rights, Emphasizing that the promotion and protection of human rights should be based on the principles of cooperation and genuine dialogue and aimed at strengthening the capacity of States to comply with their human rights obligations for the benefit of all human beings, Recalling the mandate of the Human Rights Council to promote advisory services, technical assistance and capacity-building, to be provided in consultation with and with the consent of States concerned, and provisions in Council resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 of 18 June 2007 and 16/21 of 25 March 2011, which aim to enable the Council to fulfil such a mandate, Reaffirming the resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights that provided the foundation for advisory services and technical cooperation in the field of human rights, in particular resolutions 1993/87 of 10 March 1993 and 2004/81 of 21 April 2004, Acknowledging one of the responsibilities of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and his/her Office in providing advisory services and technical and financial assistance, at the request of the State concerned, with a view to supporting actions and programmes in the field of human rights, Acknowledging also the role and potential impact of the activities of the relevant agencies of the United Nations and international and regional organizations, as well as the contribution of civil society organizations in providing States with technical support and assistance on the basis of needs and requests of the States concerned in the implementation of their human rights obligations and their voluntary pledges and commitments, including accepted universal periodic review recommendations, Reaffirming the important and constructive role played by existing national human rights institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights, in particular in their advisory capacity to the competent authorities, 1. Reaffirms that States have the primary responsibility for the promotion and protection of all human rights; 2. Emphasizes the need to promote a cooperative and constructive approach for the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as to enhance the role of the Human Rights Council in promoting advisory services, technical assistance and capacity-building, particularly through discussions held under agenda item 10; 3. Decides to hold, within the framework of agenda item 10, an annual thematic discussion to promote the sharing of experiences and best practices and technical cooperation in the promotion and protection of human rights; 4. Also decides that the theme and work format of the discussion shall be approved by the Human Rights Council on an annual basis, in line with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 and 16/21, and that the first discussion to be held at the nineteenth session of the Council shall be based on the theme “Sharing of best practices and promoting technical cooperation: paving the way towards the second cycle of the universal periodic review”; GE.12-17756 47