Empowering National Human Rights Institutions to Advance Rights-Based Climate Action 53 Another key gap lies in NHRIs’ ability to support EHRDs, with limited capacity to protect those advocating for climate justice. Additionally, their engagement with businesses on climate mitigation and adaptation practices is weak, further reducing their impact. Without a strong framework for advocating for climate-vulnerable communities or aligning government climate strategies with human rights standards, all six NHRIs are likely to face obstacles in influencing national climate policies effectively. The NHRIs in the region also have limited capacity to advise governments on the human rights implications of climate policies. Their influence in national and international climate discussions is often marginal, reducing their ability to ensure that human rights considerations are integrated into climate-related projects and policies. Furthermore, systemic issues related to climate change and human rights remain inadequately addressed due to the challenges in conducting comprehensive investigations or inquiries into the impacts of climate change on human rights. NHRIs’ inability to align government strategies with human rights standards, compounded by the inadequate integration of human rights considerations in national climate policies, further weakens their overall impact on CCMA initiatives. 4.4. Implications The analysis of data collected from all six NHRIs in South Asia illustrate that they face noteworthy challenges in addressing the intersection of climate change and human rights, particularly due to gaps in human resources, technical capacity, and expertise. Many NHRIs lack sufficient staff trained in both climate change and human rights, limiting their ability to effectively monitor, report on, and advocate for and advice the government on climaterelated human rights issues. Additionally, there are gaps in linking climate change to gender considerations, further complicating efforts to protect vulnerable groups and integrate gender-sensitive approaches into climate responses. One critical issue is the lack of engagement with EHRDs and affected communities. In several NHRIs, they are not adequately collaborating with those on the frontlines of climate change, such as EHRDs or marginalised communities who are disproportionately affected by climate disasters. This lack of engagement reduces NHRIs’ ability to gather firsthand information, provide comprehensive recommendations to governments, and advocate for equitable climate action. Another major gap lies in the absence of specific policies and guidelines within NHRIs that address climate change-related human rights issues. Without clear frameworks, NHRIs struggle to integrate human rights considerations into climate policies and disaster management strategies. This is compounded by a gap in collaboration with civil society and