Collaborating for change 8% %4 44% 44% Despite the diverse social, cultural and political environments in which they operate, APF members face many common human rights challenges. One of the great strengths of the APF is the collegiality that exists between our members and their desire to collaborate and share their knowledge and expertise. very high high medium low very low no response ANNUAL MEMBER SURVEY 2020: VALUE TO MEMBERS OF COLLABORATING AND SHARING KNOWLEDGE The APF convened meetings and professional networks that provided opportunities for collaboration among our members, including the: • • APF Annual Meeting and Biennial Conference, attended by all 25 APF members and the NHRIs of Fiji and Tuvalu (September 2019, hosted by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea) APF Communications Network, which was a forum to share ideas and good practice, especially on using social media for human rights advocacy (August 2020, hosted by the National Human Rights Committee of Mongolia) “APF has been a platform for collaborating and sharing knowledge, leveraging partnerships and cooperation with NHRIs, civil society and UN agencies.” WHAT WE ACHIEVED IN 2019–20 • Hosted a major regional conference on the role of NHRIs in responding to hate speech • APF members collaborated on the development of an action plan on human rights defenders and good practice guides for human rights communication • Recorded a strong increase in engagement with APF online content, especially video resources NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF INDIA STANDING AGAINST HATE SPEECH The APF Biennial Conference – held in Seoul on 5 September 2019 – brought together more than 250 participants from across the region, including from 27 NHRIs, leading civil society organisations, governments and UN agencies. Speakers explored the theme of combating hate and discrimination, described by the President of the Red Cross in Korea, Dr Kyong-Seo Park, as “one of the most difficult yet critical challenges of our times”. APF members – including the NHRIs of Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Qatar and New Zealand, among others – described the corrosive impact of hate speech and discrimination on vulnerable groups, including migrants, religious minorities and LGBTI people. A common theme across all the discussions was the need to build strong and diverse partnerships in order to counter the community attitudes that frame some groups as “outsiders” and perpetuate prejudice. 14 ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS People watched the equivalent of 337 hours of APF videos and digital stories in 2019–20, up more than 22% from the previous year. WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/USER/ASIAPACIFICFORUM