Foreword The Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) collaborated for many years in building the capacity of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in the Asia Pacific region through manuals and training programmes. These activities were very practical in their orientation. They equipped Commission members and staff to undertake the range of functions of their institutions more effectively, with better strategies and more professional methodologies. The conduct of national human rights inquiries has been one of the major subjects in these training programmes. In 2012 the APF and the RWI published a manual on conducting national inquiries into systemic patterns of human rights violations. The manual explained what a national inquiry is, how it relates to the work of an NHRI as a whole and how it is undertaken. It provided a “how to” guide to NHRIs considering or conducting a national human rights inquiry. The manual supplemented two other resources jointly produced by the APF and the RWI: • a compilation of modules of a five-day training workshop on the conduct of national human rights inquiries, from the earliest planning stage through to evaluation • a collection of materials on national inquiries, including materials on national inquiries conducted by NHRIs in the Asia Pacific region over the past 25 years. These resources continue to be available on request. As part of its 2020 strategy to integrate gender mainstreaming across all its existing thematic, functional and operational training programmes, the APF has reviewed its training manuals to ensure that they have sufficiently integrated and highlighted gender issues. As part of this strategy, in 2019 the APF revised the national inquiries manual. This revised manual still provides information on how to conduct a national inquiry. It also highlights more recent national inquiries conducted by a number of APF member NHRIs, while continuing to refer to older national inquiries of continuing relevance. The APF’s Online Learning platform contains further information on both older and more recent national inquiries. The APF expresses its great appreciation and gratitude to RWI Visiting Professor Brian Burdekin AO who contributed greatly to the joint APF-RWI work on national inquiries, including the earlier edition of this manual, the supplementary materials and the national inquiries training programmes. Professor Burdekin pioneered the innovative national inquiry process while Australian Human Rights Commissioner from 1987 to 1994, undertaking inquiries into homeless children and into human rights and mental illness. The development, spread and success of this process are due to his vision and commitment more than anything else In producing this revised manual, the APF again encourages Asia Pacific NHRIs that have not yet undertaken a national inquiry to consider doing so. It seeks to make information about the Asia Pacific experience in pioneering national inquiries available to NHRIs outside this region. And it reflects on the lessons that have been learnt by institutions that have already undertaken national inquiries so that future national inquiries will be as effective and as successful as possible. Kieren Fitzpatrick Director Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions v