Contributing at the national, regional & international level In March 2018, the APF and GANHRI continued their joint advocacy efforts on behalf of NHRIs at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, with the NHRIs of Afghanistan, Australia and the Philippines also attending the session. 3 very high high medium low very low no response ANNUAL MEMBER SURVEY 2018: VALUE TO MEMBERS OF CONTRIBUTING AT THE NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL While ‘A status’ NHRIs have been able to contribute to the work of the Human Rights Council in Geneva for many years, the APF has been at the forefront of a global campaign to secure equivalent participation rights for NHRIs in UN General Assembly bodies and mechanisms. In addition, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues has given separate standing to ‘A status’ NHRIs in its registration processes. It also now invites NHRIs to contribute to questionnaires and publishes their responses. The NHRIs of Malaysia, Nepal and the Philippines attended the April 2018 meeting of the UNPFII. 1 10 NHRIs make a unique and respected contribution to the international human rights system. The independent information and analysis they provide ensures that pressing human rights issues can be rigorously debated by UN panels and targeted recommendations can be made to States. In December 2016, the UN Open Ended Working Group on Ageing became the first General Assembly mechanism to formally include NHRIs in its work. Four APF members – the NHRIs of Australia, India, Korea and the Philippines – took part in a landmark session of the Working Group in July 2017 where they were among the inaugural independent NHRI participants. 3 7 WHAT WE ACHIEVED IN 2017–18 • Continued our successful advocacy to broaden opportunities for NHRIs to participate in UN bodies in New York • Established connections with ASEAN’s human rights body, with APF members sharing their expertise on human rights and business • Supported APF members facing threats and reprisals for being staunch human rights defenders FORGING CONNECTIONS IN REGIONAL MECHANISMS The NHRIs of Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and India shared their insights on promoting respect for human rights in the business sector as part of an inter-regional dialogue organised by the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) in June 2018. Following the Dialogue, the Australian Human Rights Commission held a side event on business and human rights for NHRIs, which included focussed discussions on improving outcomes for women. The APF is heartened by these developments. We believe that NHRI participation in regional mechanisms – in South East Asia, as well as in South Asia, the Pacific and among Arab nations – has the potential to strengthen understanding among States and inform policy making that upholds human rights. During the year, we also joined with OHCHR, UNDP and GANHRI to provide a regional platform of support to five NHRIs in Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. 16 ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS