Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions
The data can reveal ways to help the NHRI prioritise its CD needs: issues in which the capacity gap
between ‘current’ and ‘required’ is greatest can be the issues where the NHRI chooses to focus first
and most intensively. Alternatively, smaller gaps can be identified as potential ‘quick wins’ for the NHRI.
The responses to the questionnaire should be able to be analysed, as required and relevant:
• for each core capacity issue, comparing the ratings for current and future required capacity and
showing the capacity gap, that is, the difference between the two ratings
• for the NHRI as a whole
• by category, for example, by gender, ethnicity, NHRI functional area, central and regional offices,
type of position (manager or policy or administration).
This kind of analysis enables differences of perspective to be identified and understood and highlights
specific challenges and priority capacity areas based on the NHRI’s structure.
Throughout the CA process, the CA team seeks to identify strategies and actions to address the NHRI’s
capacity gaps – to build the NHRI’s capacity from its current level to the level identified by the leaders
and staff as required for the NHRI to be fully effective in five years’ time. The strategies and actions
proposed should be
• relevant to the capacity issues identified as priorities
• practical and capable of being implemented
• achievable within the five year timeframe following the CA
• within the NHRI’s mandate
• within the NHRI’s existing resources or reasonably obtainable additional resources.
In developing strategies and actions the CA team is careful to ensure that, first, all strategies and actions
are gender sensitive in responding to the particular perspectives of women participants in the CA and to
the needs of women inside and outside the NHRI and, second, specific strategies and actions address
the specific needs and concerns of women in the country and in the NHRI.
The CA team spends the last days of the assessment visit preparing the ‘first rough draft’ of the report.
The findings section of the report must accurately reflect the perspectives of the NHRI’s leaders,
senior managers and staff expressed in the focus group discussions and the questionnaires. These
perspectives will be diverse, coming as they do from people at all levels of the organisation and located
in all areas. The nature and extent of the differences may come as a surprise to the leaders and may be
difficult for the leaders to accept. The CA team needs to prepare for this and assist the NHRI leaders to
understand the varying perspectives.
The ‘first rough draft’ is done quickly so that it can be discussed with the NHRI leaders and senior
managers before the team finishes the assessment visit. This enables the leaders and the team to discuss
the CA findings and proposed strategies and actions and the envisaged contents of the final report.
The CA team should be clear about the document’s status. It should emphasise that the document
provided at this stage is very ‘rough’ in style and content and requires much more work before it could
be considered a proper draft.
The team’s meeting with NHRI leaders on the final day of the assessment visit should not be rushed.
The team introduces the ‘first rough draft’, presenting the analysis of the qualitative and quantitative
information and explaining the strategies and actions proposed in response to the capacity gaps. The
team should take the leaders and senior managers through the proposed strategies and actions one by
one and discuss them with them. The team will want to ensure that, before it completes the assessment
visit, it appreciates the likely responses from the NHRI leaders to the proposals so that it can develop
them further or adjust them in response to the leaders’ views.
14