Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions The workshops also feature a range of practical exercises and role-plays as well as discussion of good practice examples from across the Asia Pacific region. During the reporting period, the APF conducted training with the following NHRIs: • Philippines Commission on Human Rights, Manila, Philippines, 29 July – 2 August 2013 • Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 6-12 January 2014 • Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights, Bogor, Indonesia, 10-14 February 2014, and • National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 31 March – 4 April 2014. NHRI foundation training From 14 October – 3 November 2013, the APF and the RWI jointly ran an online course for the staff of NHRIs, with the aim of introducing NHRI staff to the history, concept, role and mandates of NHRIs, and to encourage sharing of good practices of NHRIs. The course was structured into four core modules: • the origin, mandate and concept of NHRIs • the advisory and educational mandate of NHRIs • the investigative and monitoring mandate of NHRIs, and • NHRI engagement with international and regional stakeholders. Participants from NHRIs from across the Asia Pacific region participated in the online course. In addition to guided readings and video materials, the online course utilised a range of learning activities, including quizzes and assignments, and online discussions aimed at encouraging participants to share their experiences and learn from each other. Participants who completed the online course then went on to participate in a face-to-face training workshop held from 25 November – 5 December 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. In line with the APF and RWI’s emphasis on blended learning, the online course included assignments that directly linked to sessions during the face-to-face workshop in Bangkok. The program for the workshop built on the syllabus of the online course. It also included additional thematic sessions exploring human rights issues of concern to many NHRIs in the region, including human rights and business, and the engagement of NHRIs with international human rights mechanisms. Several days were also devoted to presentations by the participants, regarding the achievements and challenges of their own NHRI, with the aim of facilitating peer-to-peer learning amongst NHRI staff. The facilitation of the workshop in Bangkok was led by the RWI with the participation of the APF for specific topics. Prevention of torture During the reporting period, the APF partnered with the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), to run a blended learning training course on the prevention of torture for the NHRIs of West Asia in Arabic. Preventing torture training resource in Arabic. 10 Participants from the NHRIs of Jordan, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Iraq and Bahrain participated in the training program. The APF-APT blended learning course – the first to be conducted totally in Arabic – included five weeks of online learning and discussions (27 January – 28 February 2014), followed by a week-long workshop in Amman, Jordan (24-28 March 2014) hosted by the Jordan National Centre for Human Rights.