1. Background In January 2004, the Brookings Institution-Bern Project on Internal Displacement (Brookings-Bern Project) and the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) entered into an agreement to undertake activities with APF member national human rights institutions/commissions (NHRIs/ or commissions) in an effort to integrate the issue of internal displacement into their work. In particular it was agreed that the APF would: (a) Serve as a liaison and primary contact with member NHRIs and the BrookingsBern Project on Displacement throughout the implementation of this national human rights program; (b) Organise a needs assessment mission (NAM) to NHRIs in India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand, work with the Brookings-Bern Project’s individual consultants and Brookings-Bern Project staff to undertake the missions, and to develop with each NHRI a capacity-building program aimed to increase its activity and capacity with regard to internal displacement; (c) In cooperation with the Brookings-Bern Project, develop and implement a fundraising strategy to cover the costs of implementing the capacity-building programs; (d) Serve as contact and technical resource for NHRIs during the implementation of the capacity-building programs; (e) Work with Brookings-Bern Project legal staff on providing assistance to NHRIs undertaking an analysis of their national laws and policies in terms of the Guiding Principles; (f) In consultation with the Brookings-Bern Project, organise a regional meeting of NHRIs to discuss internal displacement and to share their experiences of addressing the internal displacement issue; (g) Conduct a follow-up review with participant NHRIs on the usefulness of the needs assessment mission and capacity-building assistance, as well as progress in integrating internal displacement in the overall work of the institutions; (h) Present regular updates on the program to the APF annual meeting. An amendment to the contract was finalised in May 2005 in which it was agreed, amongst other things, that the APF would provide the Brookings-Bern project with an interim report on the integration of internal displacement into the work of NHRIs by 31 May 2005. An interim report for the period of January 2004 to May 2005 was submitted to the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement in June 2005. 3