Promoting and Protecting the Human Rights of Women and Girls A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions A national action plan will generally include objectives and activities to strengthen: • The national legal and policy framework • Civil and political rights • Economic, social and cultural rights • Rights protection of vulnerable groups • Human rights education • The role of stakeholders, including NHRIs, civil society and business. A national action plan is a vital tool that can establish a roadmap for realizing positive change over time in all areas of human rights, including the rights of women and girls. NHRIs are a valuable source of independent and credible information, analysis and advice on human rights issues at the national level. They can therefore play an vital role in contributing to the planning and development of their country’s national human rights action plan. NHRIs can ensure that the national action plan integrates an appropriate gender perspective and explicitly commits to promoting and protecting the human rights of women and girls. Through their relationships with multiple stakeholders, NHRIs can also help to ensure that the perspectives and concerns of women and girls are heard, acknowledged and taken into consideration as the national action plan is being developed. In addition, NHRIs can seek to ensure that gender and the rights of women and girls figure prominently in each area of the national action plan. They can also use their knowledge and experience to promote the adoption of objectives and actions that are realistic and reflect the genuine needs and priorities of women and girls. NHRIs have an important role to play in monitoring the implementation of the national action plan. According to OHCHR, “[t]he role of NHRIs should be essentially to monitor implementation, to provide expertise and to make recommendations to government regarding appropriate action”.84 In undertaking their independent monitoring role, NHRIs can remind government and other stakeholders of their specific obligations and undertakings in the national action plan, especially those that relate to and impact on the human rights of women and girls. They can also provide advice and recommendations aimed at securing the goals of the national action plan in these areas. The monitoring role of NHRIs should extend to evaluating the implementation of the national action plan. For example, to what extent are the commitments being realized? What indicators are there to measure progress? What are the obstacles to effective implementation and how can these be overcome? Over time, NHRIs can also assess the quality and relevance of the national action plan. Does it adequately address the issues of most concern to women and girls? In what areas could the national action plan be usefully revised to strengthen it as a tool for advancing the rights of women and girls? Some countries have developed multiple national plans of action; for example, on education, in accordance with the United Nations World Programme for Human Rights Education, and on human trafficking. Some countries have also developed specific national action plans to advance the human rights of women and girls. For example, the Philippines has the Strategic Plan of the Interagency Council on Violence against Women and their Children (2007–2010)85 and Australia has adopted a National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (2010–2022).86 48 84 Ibid, p. 51. 85 Available at www.evaw-global-database.unwomen.org/en/countries/asia/philippines/2007/strategic-plan-of-the-inter-agencycouncil-on-violence-against-women-and-their-children-2007-2010. 86 Available at www.fahcsia.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2012/national_plan.pdf.