A/RES/59/196 Considering that cooperation between the United Nations and regional arrangements in the field of human rights continues to be both substantive and supportive and that possibilities exist for increased cooperation, Welcoming the fact that the Office of the High Commissioner has been systematically pursuing a regional and subregional approach through a variety of complementary means and methods, in order to maximize the impact of the activities of the United Nations at the national level, 1. Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the Secretary-General; 4 2. Welcomes the continuing cooperation and assistance of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the further strengthening of the existing regional arrangements and regional machinery for the promotion and protection of human rights, in particular through technical cooperation aimed at national capacity-building, public information and education, with a view to exchanging information and experience in the field of human rights; Also welcomes, in that respect, the close cooperation of the Office of the 3. High Commissioner in the organization of regional and subregional training courses and workshops in the field of human rights, high-level governmental expert meetings and regional conferences of national human rights institutions, aimed at creating greater understanding in the regions of issues concerning the promotion and protection of human rights, improving procedures and examining the various systems for the promotion and protection of universally accepted human rights standards and identifying obstacles to ratification of the principal international human rights treaties and strategies to overcome them; Recognizes, therefore, that progress in promoting and protecting all 4. human rights depends primarily on efforts made at the national and local levels, and that the regional approach should imply intensive cooperation and coordination with all partners involved, while bearing in mind the importance of international cooperation; Stresses the importance of the programme of technical cooperation in the 5. field of human rights, renews its appeal to all Governments to consider making use of the possibilities offered by the United Nations under this programme of organizing information or training courses at the national level for government personnel on the application of international human rights standards and the experience of relevant international bodies, and notes with satisfaction, in that respect, the establishment of technical cooperation projects with Governments of all regions; Welcomes the growing exchanges between the United Nations and the 6. United Nations human rights treaty bodies, on the one hand, and regional organizations and institutions, including the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the League of Arab States, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, on the other; Also welcomes the placement by the Office of the High Commissioner of 7. regional representatives in subregions and in regional commissions; _______________ 4 2 A/59/323.