Strong organisational leadership and governance 3 16 6 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. very high high medium low very low no response ANNUAL MEMBER SURVEY 2019: OVERALL VALUE OF MEMBERSHIP IN THE APF TO OUR INSTITUTION The APF secretariat manages the day-to-day operations of the APF and implements the decisions of the Forum Council. RESPONSIVE AND STREAMLINED GOVERNANCE • Implemented new governance arrangements that will equip us to meet the needs of our growing membership and respond to emerging human rights challenges The Governance Committee will review and respond strategically to issues as they arise and provide recommendations to the APF General Assembly (‘A status’ members having voting and participatory rights and ‘B status’ members having participatory rights). • Facilitated an independent review that recognised the high quality of the APF’s work to advance human rights outcomes in the Asia Pacific Representatives from the NHRIs of Mongolia (Deputy Chairperson), India, Jordan and Qatar were also elected to the Governance Committee for a two-year term. INDEPENDENT EVALUATION PRAISES APF PERFORMANCE Every five years, the APF’s major joint partners commission an independent evaluation of the APF. As part of this review cycle, an independent evaluation was undertaken from September to December 2018 that concluded: 18 WHAT WE ACHIEVED IN 2018–19 A five-member Governance Committee, led by President of the Australian Human Rights Commission Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher, was elected at the 2018 APF Annual Meeting. • The APF is progressing strongly against all four of its strategic outcomes and has played a key role in raising the profile of NHRIs internationally • The APF has strengthened its performance in a range of key areas, including gender mainstreaming and monitoring and evaluation • The APF secretariat has displayed a very high level of capacity across all operational areas. However, the organisation is overstretched and this poses a risk to the APF’s continued high level of performance. ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS The recommendations to the joint partners – the governments of Australia, New Zealand and Sweden – included increasing their funding support to the APF. The evaluation also suggested expanding the APF’s presence in different sub-regions of the Asia Pacific. The joint partner’s final response to the evaluation is forthcoming.