Strong organisational leadership and governance 8% 4 % 48% 40% The APF is an independent, non-profit organisation, with a board of directors – the Forum Council – that reflects the regional diversity of our membership. As an organisation, we seek to operate according to the highest levels of accountability, efficiency, transparency and member participation. A five-member Governance Committee, led by the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, was elected at the 2018 APF Annual Meeting. Representatives from the NHRIs of Mongolia (Deputy Chairperson), India, Jordan and Qatar also serve on the Governance Committee. The role of the Governance Committee is to review and respond to issues as they arise and provide recommendations to the APF General Assembly for discussion and voting (‘A status’ members having voting and participatory rights and ‘B status’ members having participatory rights). The APF secretariat manages the day-to-day operations of the APF and implements the decisions of the General Assembly. CONFIDENCE AND COLLEGIALITY Our members place significant value on their membership of the APF and rate their satisfaction with the APF’s governance and accountability as ‘high’ or ‘very high’. They also said they were highly satisfied with the performance of the APF secretariat, reflecting the efficiency and professionalism of its small staff of seven. Our members also expressed a very strong sense of collegiality and ‘ownership’ of the organisation. This is an important marker of the organisation’s effectiveness. OUR ‘DIGITAL FIRST’ APPROACH To support members during COVID-19, the APF has developed a ‘digital first’ strategy that will ensure resources, training and mentoring are available online during the time that travel is not possible. The APF will also bolster support for our professional networks by convening an expanded Facilitators and Education Network, in addition to online support for the Senior Executive Officers Network and for the Communications Network. 18 ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS very high high medium low very low no response ANNUAL MEMBER SURVEY 2020: OVERALL VALUE OF MEMBERSHIP IN THE APF TO OUR INSTITUTION WHAT WE ACHIEVED IN 2019–20 • Maintained very high levels of engagement and collegiality among the APF’s diverse membership • Maintained a high proportion of core funding in a challenging financial environment for human rights organisations • Adopted a ‘digital first’ strategy to respond to the capacity development and collaboration needs of APF members during COVID-19