A/HRC/63/19 IV. Progress in other areas of the Mechanism A. Witness protection 69. Despite the resource constraints faced during the reporting period, the Mechanism’s commitment to the security and well-being of witnesses and other individuals who collaborate with the Mechanism has remained unwavering. The Mechanism continued to refine its methodologies and operational standards in adherence to international best practices. The Mechanism utilizes the latest technologies and best practices to minimize the risk to those cooperating with it. The Mechanism is not a police force and has no authority to grant anyone the right to travel to or reside in any country. Rather, the Mechanism depends upon the cooperation of States for any such measures. The Mechanism engages with many victim-survivors, many in Myanmar and others scattered around the globe, whom it asks to recount extremely traumatic experiences. However, the Mechanism has very limited resources and capacity to provide psychosocial support to such individuals. The Mechanism has therefore sought to establish partnerships with relevant organizations that are willing and able to provide such support. 70. During the reporting period, the Mechanism expanded its witness protection and support activities. It conducted a greater number of risk assessments, covering both security and psychosocial dimensions, and implemented additional mitigation measures. During the reporting period, the Mechanism conducted 137 risk assessments, including many aimed at identifying comprehensive security and psychosocial risks to ensuring that witnesses and information providers engage with the Mechanism in a secure manner. 71. The Mechanism also responded to increasingly complex protection cases, including cases involving individuals facing significant security threats and psychosocial challenges. During the reporting period, the Mechanism provided direct protection and psychosocial support for 28 witness interviews in multiple jurisdictions and managed the protection of high-value witnesses during their resettlement processes, while maintaining close coordination with international partners throughout. B. Language support 72. The diversity and number of linguistic groups in Myanmar adds a layer of complexity to the Mechanism’s activities. Most of the information and evidence that the Mechanism has collected is in the Myanmar language (Burmese), or other languages used in Myanmar, and is written in different scripts and in different file formats. Additionally, the majority of victims, survivors, witnesses, sources and civil society stakeholders speak the Myanmar language (Burmese), or other languages used in Myanmar (such as Chin, Kachin, Karen, Rakhine and Rohingya). Accordingly, the Mechanism requires timely and accurate language translation and interpretation capabilities in order to conduct its collection and analysis activities effectively as well as to engage routinely and meaningfully with a wide range of stakeholders. 73. The Mechanism continued to provide language support through a broad range of language services. While the translation of evidentiary material collected by the Mechanism remained a priority, the growing volume of witness screenings and interviews also required extensive interpretation support across multiple languages. In addition, language services were required for communication with stakeholders in the context of public information and outreach activities, witness protection measures and security coordination functions. 74. In an ongoing effort, the Mechanism is developing tools with the aim of standardizing interpretations and translations. For instance, it maintains a glossary database containing more than 8,000 entries in Burmese, English and Rohingya. The glossary continues to be expanded and refined through coordination between language experts, investigation teams and information providers – which includes the addition of specialized terminology related to sexual and gender-based crimes, military matters and legal concepts. GE.26-09554 15