Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions Migrant workers’ rights and advocacy Migrant workers’ rights training resource. ‘Human Rights and Migrant Workers – A Training Program for Advocates’ is a capacity building program which brings together representatives from NHRIs, NGOs and trade unions in the Asia Pacific region. The program, organised by the APF in association with the Diplomacy Training Program (DTP), equips participants with up-to-date information and practical skills to help them respond to the challenges facing migrant workers in or from their countries. During the reporting period the week-long training program was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 17–21 October 2011. A key goal of the program is to forge stronger partnerships between NHRIs, NGOs and trade unions to develop concrete strategies to advance the rights of migrant workers at the national and regional level. The participants were provided with knowledge and advocacy skills to begin to narrow the gap between international standards and the real-life experiences of many migrant workers. With rapid economic change driving more people to cross borders in search of work, especially women, promoting and protecting the rights of migrants workers is one of the key human rights challenges facing countries in the Asia Pacific region. Migrant workers continue to face discrimination, unsafe and unhealthy working conditions, non-payment of wages, violence and detention. In many cases, they are forced to live on the fringes of society, beyond the usual protection of the law. National inquiries training National inquiries training resource. The APF works with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) to undertake training workshops for APF member institutions on running effective national inquiries. The workshops provide NHRI representatives with a step-by-step understanding of the process of establishing and conducting a national inquiry. The workshops explore a range of practical issues, such as: • selecting the inquiry subject • setting the terms of reference • appointing the inquiry team • collecting evidence • engaging the media, and • planning follow-up activities to promote inquiry findings and advocate for recommendations. The APF has produced a training DVD which draws on the experiences of NHRIs from across the Asia Pacific and the lessons learnt from holding public inquiries into a broad spectrum of issues. During the reporting period the APF conducting a blended training program on national inquiries for member institutions in South Asia. Initially the APF ran a four-week online training course from 18 July – 12 August 2011 which explored a number of practical issues involved in running an effective national inquiry. This online training was then followed by a week-long face-to-face workshop, which was held in Kerala, India, from 14–19 November 2011, involving a total of 18 staff from the NHRIs of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The workshop was hosted by the NHRI of India. As part of the workshop, participants were invited to identify a significant human rights issue on which their NHRI could undertake a national inquiry. 12 | 1. Enhance members’ institutional capacity to promote and protect human rights