Annual Report 2011–2012 Introduction The Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) is a regional organisation that supports the establishment and strengthening of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in the Asia Pacific. It provides practical assistance and support to its individual member institutions to enable them to more effectively undertake their own human rights protection, monitoring, promotion and advocacy. The objective of the APF is to protect and promote the human rights of the people of the Asia Pacific region. The Asia Pacific Forum The work of the APF can be categorised under three broad areas: 1. Strengthening the capacity of individual APF member institutions to enable them to more effectively undertake their national mandates. 2. Assisting governments and civil society to establish and strengthen NHRIs in compliance with the minimum criteria contained in the Paris Principles. 3. Promoting sub-regional, regional and international cooperation on human rights issues. Throughout the reporting period the APF worked with its member NHRIs, local, regional and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), governments, and international organisations to bring about improvements in human rights. The APF currently has the following 19 member institutions: • the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission • the Australian Human Rights Commission • the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh • the National Human Rights Commission of India • the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights • the Jordan National Centre for Human Rights • the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia • the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives • the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission • the Human Rights Commission of Mongolia • the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal • the New Zealand Human Rights Commission • the Palestine Independent Commission for Human Rights • the Philippines Commission on Human Rights • the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar • the National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea • the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka • the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, and • the Provedor for Human Rights and Justice of Timor-Leste. The APF’s membership increased by one institution during 2012–13 with the inclusion of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission as an associate member. Further information on the APF and its individual members is available at www.asiapacificforum.net. Introduction | 3