Annual Report 2013–2014 3.2. PROVISION OF ADVICE TO MEMBERS AND OTHERS EVALUATION FINDINGS Outcome indicator Advice Performance rating On track A central focus of the APF is to support the establishment and/or strengthening of independent NHRIs in the region. To help achieve this goal, the APF provides advice to NHRIs, governments and civil society groups on the unique status of NHRIs; their roles and functions; their relationship with government, parliament and civil society; and the international accreditation process. This can also include technical advice on compliance with international standards set out in the Paris Principles; operational issues such as organisational structure, operational procedures and financial resources; and the development of best practice models. In 2013–14 the APF provided advice to existing members, potential members, governments, international and regional organisations and other stakeholders, including legal and policy advice on topics such as, NHRI models; NHRI legislation; constitutional interpretation and amendment; international standards; accreditation; and institutional cooperation. The APF secretariat was able to respond fully to 24 of the 25 requests for advice received, providing draft responses in the remaining one case. Advice was provided in a broad range of areas including: • the impact of international standards on amended legislation or proposed amendments to NHRI law • the accreditation of NHRIs • the application of the constitution and rule of law in situations of conflict • statutory interpretation and statutory amendment, and • policy development including improvements to accreditation processes. Members continued to value the APF’s advice highly this year, with the median member rating across a number of areas of advice rising from 4.25 out of 5 in 2013 to 4.5 out of 5 in 2014, the highest rating to date. This was largely attributable to the very high value placed on legal and policy advice, including legislative drafting, provided by the APF during 2013–14 by those members who requested this advice. More generally, another survey of members showed that advice on the ICC accreditation process was regarded as important and a high priority for the APF by 88% of members. Figure 8 shows the rating out of five on the usefulness of advice requested by members. The value of the advice to some members grew, especially the NHRIs of Thailand, Palestine, Mongolia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. For other members, the value of advice remained high, but steady. A number of members indicated that they did not request advice during the year. An important aim of the 2015–2020 strategic planning process is to continue to ensure the capacity to respond to requests for advice, including the capacity for face-to-face discussions where this is necessary and to continue to seek feedback on advice where possible, in particular on whether the advice is relevant, accurate and practical. 3. Promote compliance with the Paris Principles | 33