Conducting a National Inquiry into Systemic Patterns of Human Rights Violation The background paper should also indicate those to whom its educational efforts should be directed. These target groups include those affected by the issue; those with an existing or potential interest in it; those with some responsibility, direct or indirect, to address the issue; and those who can be supporters of or advocates for the inquiry’s findings and recommendations. The awareness raising and educational components of the inquiry contribute to building public and political pressure for implementation of the inquiry’s final report. 4.8. TIMETABLE The timetable for a national inquiry should be carefully developed. It should be long enough to enable the inquiry to be conducted properly and for it to be done well but not so long that the public loses interest and the political momentum is lost. It is difficult to imagine a national inquiry being done properly in less than 12 months but it should not be extended beyond two years. The best approach is to plan for the inquiry to take a period not less than 12 and not more than 18 months. Good planning is required to map out a very detailed timetable on a month-by-month basis. That is not necessary for the background paper but it is essential for the full inquiry plan that needs to be developed subsequently. Timetabling a national inquiry is discussed further in Chapter 9 of this manual. 4.9. RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS The two key resources that every national inquiry requires are personnel and finances. The background paper should set out what the inquiry needs in each area. Determining necessary personnel resources requires a listing of necessary skills and expertise. National inquiries are big projects with a broad approach to human rights protection and promotion. They are effective because they are comprehensive. That means that they require a wide range of skills and expertise among their staff. Typically a national inquiry will need staff with skills in human rights law, research, policy development, investigation, community education, media liaison, administration and management. Ideally the inquiry team includes those with expertise and experience in the subject matter of the inquiry. The background paper should indicate the range and levels of skills required and the number of staff with those skills or that expertise. It should also indicate the periods during which particular areas of skills and expertise will be required – it will not be necessary to have all the identified staff for the full length of the inquiry and some experienced staff may well fill several roles. The budget should set out all the financial requirements of the inquiry. This must be done carefully, right at the beginning, and the necessary funds should be assured before the inquiry begins. If it is not, there will be a risk that the inquiry will run out of money while only partially completed. There can be few greater betrayals of victims and their families than to have their expectations of justice raised and then shattered because an NHRI has begun a national inquiry that has stalled for lack of money. Resource requirements are discussed further in Chapter 8 of this manual. 4.10. STAKEHOLDER VIEWS Finally, the background paper may briefly summarise the views of stakeholders from various sectors in relation both to the proposal to conduct a national inquiry and to the substance and process of the inquiry. A national inquiry is a public process and so the participation of key stakeholders is essential to its success. The views of stakeholders are needed at the beginning to inform the NHRI’s decisionmaking in considering the proposal to conduct the inquiry. They need not all be consulted during the preparation of the background paper but there should be at least a sampling of views from various sectors so that the NHRI, in considering the background paper, has a good understanding of the range of views among key stakeholders. The identification and engagement of stakeholders is discussed further in Chapter 5 of this manual. 20