Capacity Assessment Manual for National Human Rights Institutions
Chapter 4:
From capacity challenges to
strategies and actions
Being with a team with international capacity was a good experience and my
findings are as follows:
1. For me it was a very nice experience to see how international treaties could
be implemented in different countries with different cultures and beliefs and
also to see that human rights values are the same everywhere even with
different cultures and beliefs.
2. It opens a window to the person in the capacity assessment team to see
human rights from different perspectives and learn to assess human rights
values and also helps the assessment member to gain new experience and
knowledge.
3. It gives a wider perspective to local staff with limited authorities who are in
the team (like me), to see human rights global responsibility and challenges
and transfer the knowledge to the areas of their responsibilities.
QADER RAHIMI
Herat Regional Director, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission
Team member on CAs of the NHRIs of Sri Lanka 2012 and Philippines 2018
The findings from the CA provide the starting point for formulating a CD response for the NHRI. They
lead to the proposed strategies and actions to address the core capacity issues. Generally, the core
capacity issues identified in the CA are related and inter-dependent. A CD response will be more effective
if it combines actions for improvement across more than one of the issues. So, one strategy or action
may address several capacity issues, building on existing strengths and on additional ones over time.
For example, developing and implementing a performance appraisal scheme for all staff will address
capacity issues in relation to management ability, staff accountability, human resource development
and the performance of general functions and specific tasks. The CD strategies and actions, therefore,
should respond to the core capacity issues generally and not attempt to be a one for one match, with
each capacity issue having a single exclusive response.
A CA report to an individual NHRI is confidential to that NHRI (its leaders, senior managers and staff),
unless it decides to release it publicly. This manual, therefore, does not provide examples of specific
strategies and actions in reports to particular NHRIs. However, it can provide examples of the kinds of
strategies and actions frequently proposed so that NHRI leaders and staff can be aware of the common
kinds of strategies and actions for improvement that can arise from a CA.
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