NHRI Guidelines for Mainstreaming the Human Rights of Women and Girls into Our Everyday Work 2. Policy and legislative review A gender mainstreamed NHRI … Possible actions • Applies a gender lens to reviews of, and advice about, policy and legislation. • National laws and policies should fully reflect the needs of women and girls and fully protect their rights. NHRIs can contribute to strengthening national laws and policies by: • Has staff who are competent in applying a gender lens to policy and legislation and can articulate the issues of not doing so. −− Encouraging ratification or accession by the State to key human rights treaties to which it is not yet party −− Promoting compliance with the human rights treaties to which the State is party. −− Encouraging the withdrawal of reservations to treaties to which the State is party. −− Helping develop tools, such as human rights indicators and national action plans, to assist States implement their obligations and monitor the situation with respect to the rights of women and girls. −− Promoting community awareness about national laws and policies and practices, as well as relevant international laws, policies and good practices.28 • These actions also relate to the NHRI’s function of monitoring and implementing the State’s international human rights commitments. • Advocate for a national gender strategy. This could be part of a national human rights action plan. 3. Human rights education A gender mainstreamed NHRI … Possible actions • Increases knowledge about gender equality; encourages values, attitudes and beliefs that promote gender equality and facilitates action toward gender equality through its education programs. • Include gender specific elements in all stages of education and training activities, including planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. • Has formal and informal relationships with stakeholder groups that work for gender equality. • Include a requirement for gender balance in representation and content in the communications strategy. • Includes gender considerations in external communications, branding material and marketing tools/strategies. • Continue to include a diversity and balance of genders among NHRI spokespersons and avoid stereotyped representations of gender. • Applies a gender perspective to all communications and advocacy campaigns. • Continue to proactively profile gender issues so that there is gender balance in the content of products. • Has staff who understand gender mainstreaming as a process to achieve gender equality and can apply a gender perspective to education, external engagement and communications work. 42 • Consider gender representation and content when drafting website content, newsletters and other communications.