What practical assistance does the United Nations offer to States to further the protection and promotion of human rights?
In 1985 the General Assembly formally established a Programme of Advisory Services in the field of human rights to be coordinated by the United Nations Centre for Human Rights. Its main functions were to provide, at the request of governments, the services of experts, fellowships, scholarships, seminars and training courses in human rights. A Voluntary Fund for technical co-operation in this field was established in 1987 to meet the budgetary requirements of a substantially expanded programme. A new comprehensive country programme is now in operation. Based on the assessment of the human rights needs of a country, an integrated technical assistance programme is elaborated with the aim of strengthening a legal and institutional framework that can promote and sustain human rights and democracy under the rule of law. Within this context, experts are provided to assist in the drafting of national constitutions which made provision for: the inclusion of human rights norms and the independen
