NIHR ACTION PLAN THEMES: THEME I: ENGAGEMENT IN HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION EFFORTS NIHR has presented a set of ideas aimed at strengthening its powers through laying down its own law which provides it with further independence and potential to undertake its functions and powers. In the next phase, NIHR will use the media and various means of communication to educate citizens on fundamental rights and freedoms and the ways to promote and protect these rights and freedoms, and ensure the exercise thereof. This is based on the fact that awareness of human rights is an essential input for protection from abuse and violation. NIHR will also activate its powers in the field of receiving complaints, cooperate with the competent authorities to handle them, and promote access to and communication with complainants, through the following actions: 1. Releasing a guide for handling complaints, which will serve as a standard and reference for handling complaints, evaluating the issues of complaints, types of intervention, and best treatment methods according to the best applicable practices. The purpose of this guide is to empower the Complaints, Monitoring, and Follow-up Committee to activate its legal competence, support it with a technical unit, specialized human resources, and a training program, continuous updating, and exchange of experience with similar national institutions in the region. 2. Providing the Complaints and Monitoring Unit at the General Secretariat with human resources specialised in the provision of legal assistance to victims of human rights violations, whether at the level of litigation, mediation and follow-up, or at the level of raising awareness of the procedures to be followed in this regard. Providing the Complaints Unit with personnel specialised in field monitoring to enhance factfinding and information gathering abilities. 3. Providing a hotline for receiving complaints and urgent calls and handling them according to pre-defined controls. 4. Maintaining and archiving complaints and the results reached in an organised manner in the database. THEME II: PROMOTION OF EFFORTS IN THE FIELD OF LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENT AND REVIEW According to NIHR establishment law, NIHR is committed to review legislation related to human rights and propose alternatives, particularly in relation to the conformity of national legislation with international obligations of the Kingdom. For this purpose, NIHR will carry out the following: 10