Shining Light into Dark Corners Rights Commission (NHRC). And in turn, the Control Yuan and other Taiwanese human rights organizations have attended and participated in many of the APF international conferences. In 2017, the APF issued a formal assessment report to state that: “the best option for establishing a national human rights institution in a timely manner is to make it part of the Control Yuan.” Upon the establishment of Taiwan’s NHRC, Kieren Fitzpatrick, the Director of the APF Secretariat, wrote to Chen Chu, the President of the Control Yuan, to congratulate her on becoming the first chairperson of the NHRC and express his wish to learn more about the priorities of the NHRC. O n November 1 1 , 2 0 2 0 , t h e Nat i on al Human Rights Commission held a discussion with the Secretariat via video conference for the first time due to the pandemic. Attendees from NHRC included all Commissioners of the Video conference between the NHRC and the APF on November 11, 2020. NHRC, Consultant of NHRC Huang Songlih, Secretary-General Judy, Fu-meei Ju of the Supervisory Office, and attendees from the APF Cooperating with the APF to Gain National Inquiry Operational Experience W 54 ith the assistance of UN, many regional institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. The APF has National Human Rights Institutions have long been engaged in international cooperation been founded, such as the Network of National and exchanges to support operations associated Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of with the protection and advocacy of human rights. Human Rights in the Americas, the European To encourage the establishment of independent Coordination Group of National Human Rights national human rights institutions, the APF Institutions, and the Asia Pacific Forum of National proactively presents counsel and suggestions to Human Rights Institutions (APF), which has long governments and non-governmental organizations history of interaction with Taiwan. of numerous countries. The Asia Pacific Forum (APF) is a regional network The APF had sent many delegations to Taiwan of human rights institutions and the most high-profile and has closely monitored the progress of representative of the 25 national human rights Taiwan’s establishment of the National Human included Kieren Fitzpatrick, the Director of the Members of the APF 16 full members Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Australian Human Rights Commission, National Human Rights Commission of India, Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights, Jordan National Centre for Human Rights, National Human Rights Commission of Korea, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia, National Human Rights Commission of Nepal, New Zealand Human Rights Commission, Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights, Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, National Human Rights Committee of Qatar, Ombudsman of Samoa, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, Provedor for Human Rights and Justice of Timor-Leste. 9 associate members National Institution for Human Rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain, National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh, High Commission for Human Rights of Iraq, National Centre for Human Rights of Kazakhstan, Ombudsman of the Kyrgyz Republic, Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, Oman Human Rights Commission, National Human Rights Commission of Thailand. APF Secretariat, Special Envoy Rosslyn Noonan, Principal Advisor Pip Dargan, Legal and Policy Manager Phillip Wardle, etc. The National Human Rights Commission and the APF held a video conference on November 11, 2020. 55