Contributing at the national, regional & international level 3 1 11 9 OPENING UP NEW AVENUES FOR ADVOCACY As part of their role to drive change at the national level, NHRIs are increasingly turning to the international human rights system to share information, draw attention to pressing issues and advocate for recommendations that can be made to their States. very high high medium low very low no response ANNUAL MEMBER SURVEY 2017: VALUE TO MEMBERS OF CONTRIBUTING AT THE NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL A number of our members made submissions to UN human rights treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review during the year. While ‘A status’ NHRIs are able to contribute to the work of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, participation in the mechanisms of the General Assembly in New York has been extremely limited. The APF has been at the forefront of a global campaign to secure the independent participation of NHRIs in these UN bodies for a number of years. Our advocacy was rewarded in December 2016 when the UN Open Ended Working Group on Ageing became the first General Assembly mechanism to formally include NHRIs in its work. This is an historic achievement and sets an important precedent to make space for the independent participation of NHRIs in other bodies of the General Assembly. During the year, the APF and our members led similar advocacy efforts at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (March 2017) and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (May 2017). WHAT WE ACHIEVED IN 2016–17 • Helped lead ground-breaking advocacy that resulted in ‘A status’ NHRIs being given an independent voice at the UN Open Ended Working Group on Ageing. • Provided support and assistance for APF members that faced reprisals and threats to their independence. SUPPORTING MEMBERS FACING ATTACKS AND REPRISALS A vital role of the APF is to support our members to maintain their independence from government, in accordance with the law establishing them. Independence and integrity are central to being effective and trusted human rights defenders. The APF has been gravely concerned by the political attacks, reprisals and budget cuts that some of our members– including the NHRIs of Australia, Afghanistan, Malaysia, the Maldives and the Philippines – have faced for undertaking human rights work in accordance with their legal mandate. We mobilise support for APF members facing attacks and reprisals, where they request it, and highlight to governments the important role of NHRIs. They need to perform their duties with integrity, independence and impartiality, drawing on national and international human rights standards. 18 ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS