b. How  to  access assistance
In order to benefit from the United Nations Programme of Technical Coop- eration in the field of human rights, a Government must submit a request for assistance to the Secretariat. In response, the Secretariat will conduct an assess- ment of that country’s particular human rights needs, taking into considera- tion, among other factors, the following:
• specific recommendations made by the United Nations human rights treaty bodies;
• recommendations by the Commission on Human Rights and its mecha- nisms, including the representatives of the Secretary-General, the Special Rapporteurs on thematic or country situations and the various working groups;
• the recommendations adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights; and
• the views and concerns expressed by a wide range of national and interna- tional actors including government officials, civil society, national human rights institutions, and national and international NGOs.
The assessment is normally conducted through an international mission to the State concerned. Based on that assessment, an assistance programme is developed to address the needs identified in a comprehensive and coordi- nated manner. Periodic evaluations of the country programme during its implementation are normally followed by a post- implementation evaluation, with a view to measuring the effect of the assistance provided and developing follow-up plans.
Countries or regions in transition to democracy are the primary target of the Technical Cooperation Programme. Priority is also given to technical coop- eration projects responding to the needs of  less developed countries.
For more information see the OHCHR web-site: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/techcoop.htm