a. Technical cooperation in the field of human rights
The United Nations human rights technical cooperation programme assists countries, at their request, in building and strengthening national capacities and infrastructure which have a direct impact on the overall promotion and protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. This is done through technical advice and assistance to Governments and civil society. The objective is to assist in promoting and protecting all human rights at national and regional level, through the incorporation of international human rights standards into domestic legislation, policies and practices. In addition, it facili- tates the building of sustainable national infrastructure for implementing these standards and ensuring respect for human rights.
While these activities are carried out throughout the United Nations Organi- zation, OHCHR is the focal point for the technical cooperation programme in the field of human rights. Technical cooperation activities can be a comple- ment to, but never a substitute for the monitoring and investigation activities of  the United Nations human rights programme.