Engaging at the regional and international levels Outcome 3: Strengthened NHRI engagement regionally and internationally Promoting genuine and sustained change on human rights issues at the regional and international levels is long-term and complex work. APF members seek to raise human rights concerns with regional bodies and the international human rights system. NHRIs make a unique and highly valued contribution to the international human rights system. The independent information and analysis they provide ensures that pressing human rights issues can be rigorously debated by UN panels and targeted recommendations can be made to States. As a result of APF advocacy, ‘A status’ NHRIs have been able to contribute to the work of the UN Human Rights Council and treaty monitoring bodies in Geneva for many years. After strong advocacy in recent years, the APF has helped secure equivalent participation rights for NHRIs in some UN General Assembly mechanisms in New York. We support our members in this important work by building understanding among governments in the region about the unique role and functions of independent NHRIs. We participated in GANHRI activities We contributed to regional and international events Additionally, we work to support greater engagement and participation of NHRIs at the regional and international levels and contribute the collective voice of our members to discussions in these forums. The APF is one of the four regional networks which comprise the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). GANHRI’s 2020 Bureau, General Assembly and associated meetings were delayed due to COVID-19 from March 2020 and rescheduled as a virtual meeting from 30 November to 4 December 2020. With COVID-19 restrictions in place, many international conferences and regional forums were held online in the past year. Our impact We developed a Regional Action Plan to support human rights defenders in the Asia Pacific. We launched a project to further NHRI engagement with Inter-governmental Mechanisms (IGM), including completing the baseline study. 18 We supported NHRIs to engage with the international human rights framework ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS GANHRI’s 2021 Bureau, General Assembly and associated meetings were held as a virtual meeting from 29 June to 1 July 2021. In both meetings the APF Chairperson and elected Bureau representatives, in association with elected representatives from the other three regional networks, discussed a range of administrative and policy-related issues and made recommendations to the General Assembly for adoption. The APF also contributed to the development of GANHRI publications and interventions on the impact of COVID-19 and NHRIs at risk. During 2020-21, the APF: • Co-facilitated a session at the United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum, Asia Pacific, with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which addressed the Role of NHRIs to Protect Human Rights Defenders (HRDs). • Participated in a high-level meeting of the Council of Europe ‘Committee of Ministers’ regarding the update and adoption of a resolution on NHRIs. • Participated in the Asia Pacific Regional Review of Implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. • Held stakeholder meetings with the UNDP regional office, OHCHR and FORUM ASIA/ANNI to discuss planned activities to strengthen collaboration and cooperation. • Contributed to many other events, conferences and forums. ANNUAL REPORT 2020/21 19