Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions The 18th APF Annual Meeting also included: • a report from the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions (ICC) Chairperson, Laurence Mushwana, on the activities of the ICC since May 2013, including its strategic planning • a report from the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia on the fourth session of the United Nations Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, and • a dialogue with representatives from the Asian NGOs Network on NHRIs (ANNI) on supporting human rights defenders in the region. Forum Councillors appointed the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar as APF Chairperson, with the NHRIs of Thailand and Mongolia appointed as Deputy Chairpersons. The Forum Council also decided that the National Human Rights Commission of India will host the APF Annual Meeting in 2014 and that the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia will host the APF Annual Meeting and Biennial Conference in 2015. With a number of countries in the Asia Pacific undergoing fundamental political transformations, the Biennial Conference considered the opportunities and challenges involved in charting a peaceful course to democracy. Around 150 representatives from NHRIs, governments, civil society organisations and UN agencies from across the Asia Pacific discussed strategies for working together in order to support a genuine and inclusive transition to democracy. Speakers considered developments in a number of West Asian countries, while the Chair of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission outlined progress that had been made in Myanmar. Participants also examined a range of related topics during the twoday conference, including: • the role of women in political and democratic reform • the role of NHRIs in working with police and security forces, and • the role of NHRIs in democracy and good governance. Kabul, Afghanistan. UN Photo by Eric Kanalstein. 22