implementation and resourcing. There were similar stories about key challenges (e.g. a lack of appreciation that all activities have a gender dimension) and what makes a difference (involvement of gender expertise in planning and design, specific responsibilities for gender, mandatory requirements, incentive-based approaches and good management practice). As a result most development assistance organisations, whether governmental or non-governmental, have not yet successfully institutionalised approaches for addressing gender issues in their work. The manifest difficulty experienced by a wide sweep of organisations in implementing gender equity policy commitments sets the context for the development of an APF gender policy. What follows is an attempt to identify a practical approach based on peer practices that have been demonstrated to deliver gender equity outcomes. 15.3 The need for an APF Gender Policy The APF has undertaken a range of specific advocacy and training activities relating to gender. This has included, for example: • The APF Regional Workshop on Women and International Human Rights, held in Fiji in May 2000, which brought together APF member institutions, NGOs, CEDAW members and the OHCHR; • The APF campaign for NHRI participation rights in the UN Commission on the Status of Women; • The APF-UNFPA project on Reproductive Rights; • The Advisory Council of Jurists work on trafficking and sexual orientation and gender identity; and • The APF blended training program on women‘s rights. These APF activities and our response to women‘s rights and gender identity do not, by themselves, transparently demonstrate that gender mainstreaming is an approach taken to all APF activities. There is other evidence that this is in fact occurring, for instance gender balance is routinely flagged as an issue in structuring training courses and in the attendance of participants. However, as identified by the Joint Donor Review, to transparently ensure that this objective is being pursued across all APF activities a number of additional mechanisms are required.2 2 Dwyer makes the following comment: “The APF does apply a gender analysis in programme planning, delivery and evaluation. Members indicate that the APF has been influential in improving their capacity to deal with gender related issues and offer examples of this. However, APF documentation does not sufficiently highlight that a gender focus is applied” [Dwyer, J. Review of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions, 2010, p.7]