A/HRC/63/19 methodologies to enable close monitoring and mitigation of most known cyberthreats identified over the reporting period. V. Challenges and the way forward 81. As is inherent in the nature of its mandate and operating environment, the Mechanism continues to face persistent challenges – including the lack of direct access to witnesses in Myanmar and other States in the region, the lack of cooperation from key Member States in the Asia-Pacific region, and growing threats to the safety and security of personnel, witnesses and interlocutors, as well as cybersecurity threats to communications and limitations in ensuring secure access to information. These challenges have been further exacerbated by the unprecedented liquidity crisis, austerity measures and declining availability of extrabudgetary funding across the United Nations during the reporting period. This development led to substantial reductions in staff and other resources. 82. Compounding these budgetary challenges, extrabudgetary funding cuts announced by several Member States during the current and previous reporting periods have created heightened uncertainty regarding the future of key donor-funded projects. As a result, the Mechanism is losing resources and capacity at a time when serious international crimes in Myanmar are only intensifying. 83. The Mechanism is continuing to face a critical loss of investigative capacity relating to sexual and gender-based crimes and crimes against and affecting children due to the abolition of one investigator position in the regular budget and the loss of specialist positions funded through extrabudgetary resources. However, investigations of sexual and gender-based crimes and crimes against and affecting children continue to be prioritized and have been mainstreamed throughout the Mechanism’s work. As a result, all investigators, lawyers and analysts have the capacity to investigate these crimes and are instructed to prioritize these cases. 84. In addition, the sole funder of projects focusing on witness protection and support, and on analysis of Burmese-language evidence, terminated its contributions and withdrew its support from a multi-donor project on open-source investigations, resulting in a contraction of the Mechanism’s open-source capacity. 85. The Mechanism is grateful for the support it has received from donors, and appeals to Member States, private entities and foundations to consider voluntary contributions to sustain these critical initiatives and support accountability for the most serious international crimes committed in Myanmar. VI. Conclusion 86. During the reporting period, the situation in Myanmar was described as a “forgotten conflict”. It is important to underscore that Myanmar has not been forgotten by the Mechanism. Every day, its investigators, lawyers and analysts work to collect, preserve and analyse evidence of the most serious international crimes committed across the country. The Mechanism continues to deepen its investigations into an expanding range of alleged crimes, while engaging with national and international investigative, prosecutorial and judicial authorities to facilitate criminal proceedings and other accountability processes. These efforts are driven by the fundamental imperative of ensuring accountability for serious international crimes committed in Myanmar and contributing to justice for victims and survivors. 87. Nevertheless, achieving justice is neither quick nor easy; it is often a long, complex and challenging process. The scale and complexity of crimes committed in Myanmar, combined with ongoing violence and insecurity as well as resource constraints, continue to present serious challenges. Recent reductions in funding have affected certain aspects of the Mechanism’s work and have regrettably limited its ability to expand investigations in some priority areas. Nonetheless, the Mechanism remains steadfast in its mandate and committed to delivering on the expectations of victims and survivors. The Mechanism will strive to work independently, impartially and with determination to collect and preserve evidence, to GE.26-09554 17