ANNUAL REPORT 2011 success of the NHRC’s future efforts in all areas of endeavour -- complaints handling, human rights monitoring, awareness-raising and education, and advocacy and policy development. By measuring progress in this way, the Government, Commission, NGOs, and all stakeholders will be able to coordinate more effectively to fill in gaps and build on strengths, in order to hasten the emergence of a true national human rights culture. Even considering the disconcerting results of the baseline survey in many areas, the NHRC has nonetheless made significant progress toward the overall objective of establishing itself as a strong and independent institution capable of fulfilling its statutory mandates. The following key achievements represent results in four Commission activity areas: Human Rights Complaints and Investigations; Human Rights Awareness and Education; Human Rights Research and Policy Development; and Institutional Development. NHRC 2011 Key Achievements: • The NHRC Strategic Plan (2010-2015) was formally adopted following an extensive and inclusive stakeholder consultation process. Ten thematic workshops were conducted in districts around the country, which culminated in March 2011 with a national program highlighting the major recommendations made by stakeholders on the NHRC’s priority areas of intervention and how best to achieve its strategic objectives (See Chapter 5: Institutional Development). • The NHRC conducted and published the results of the study, “Perceptions, Attitudes, and Understanding: A Baseline Survey on Human Rights in Bangladesh,” the first national survey of its kind in the country. (See Chapter 4: Human Rights Research and Policy Advocacy). • The NHRC initiated its complaints 24 handling mechanism by drafting Rules o n E n q u i r y a n d I nve st i gat i o n , developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for handling complaints, and designing an online Complaints Management System (CMS) (See Chapter 2, Human Rights Complaints and Investigations). • NHRC-sponsored public awareness and human rights education activities expanded significantly during 2011. The Commission conducted workshops, roundtables and dialogues across the country for a broad range of stakeholders, focused on pressing human rights issues and the NHRC’s mandate. Informational pamphlets, fact sheets, newspaper and journal articles, human rights-themed TV spots, and other promotional materials were disseminated widely. The NHRC website has been designed and is online (See Chapter 3, Human Rights Awareness and Education). • The NHRC commissioned three research studies to assess the compliance of Bangladesh’s national laws with international human rights obligations (ICCPR, CAT, ICESCR, and CEDAW), and has provided recommendations and policy advice to the Government of Bangladesh in the areas of women’s rights, human trafficking, child rights and constitutional reform (See Chapter 4, Human Rights Research and Policy Advocacy). • The NHRC’s position as the apex national institution on human rights in Bangladesh has been recognized throughout the Asia Pacific region and internationally. The Commission was awarded “B” status by the International Coordinating Committee (ICC) of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in May 2011 and became an