CONTRIBUTING AT THE NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL Value to members of contributing at the national, regional and international level 3 2 9 8 very high high medium low very low no response Source: APF Member Survey 2016 What we achieved >> Helped secure the adoption of a landmark General Assembly resolution calling for greater participation of NHRIs. >> Achieved success in our campaign for NHRIs to have an independent voice at future sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women. >> Provided advice and support to NHRIs who faced domestic challenges to their independence. As part of their role to promote positive change at the national level, NHRIs are increasingly engaging with the international human rights system to share information, highlight their concerns and advocate for recommendations that can be made to their States. Many of our members made submissions to UN human rights treaty bodies, the Universal Periodic Review and other Geneva-based mechanisms during the year. In 2015–16, we continued our long-standing efforts to increase opportunities for NHRIs to participate across the UN system, with a number of ground-breaking developments taking place. UN General Assembly While NHRIs have had independent participation rights at Human Rights Council in Geneva for many years, participation in the mechanisms of the General Assembly in New York has been extremely limited. However, a landmark resolution on NHRIs was adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly in December 2015, which significantly strengthens the case for the participation of NHRIs in major New York-based UN mechanisms. The resolution was led by Germany and co-sponsored by 90 governments, including 14 from the Asia Pacific region. The APF played a key role in the campaign for this resolution, including coordinating advocacy with governments, NHRIs and civil society. We were also represented by two APF members – Jordan and Malaysia – at a side event on the role of NHRIs in the UN system. The discussions at the side event directly shaped the resolution adopted by the General Assembly. 20