International Human Rights and the International Human Rights System A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions 2.3. Preparation of the list of issues and questions for closer study After receiving the State report and before the interactive dialogue with the State, the TMB appoints one or more of its members to take a leadership role in relation to each State under the monitoring procedure. This member, called a rapporteur on the particular State, is expected to be fully informed on the State’s situation, to be on top of all the information submitted for the review, to be closely involved in the preparation of the list of issues and questions to the State and then to lead the interactive dialogue on behalf of the TMB. The TMB prepares a list of issues and questions, arising from the State report, that will be the focus of the examination of the State. The issues and the questions are identified from the State’s report and other information available to the TMB, including the NHRI’s parallel report if it is available by then. An NHRI can contribute to the preparation of the list of issues and the questions, either through its parallel report or through a separate submission to the TMB. If the parallel report will not be available until close to the interactive dialogue, a separate short submission proposing issues and questions will be useful in briefly informing the TMB as to what the NHRI sees are the most important human rights issues in the State and what questions arise for the NHRI from the State report. If the list of issues and questions is made public before the NHRI has submitted its information, it may decide that the most useful contribution it can make is to provide its information and comments directly on each of the issues on the list and on the questions. Although this will not be as helpful to the TMB as a full parallel report, it is simpler, easier and quicker for the NHRI to respond at that stage in this way than to attempt to complete a full parallel report and have it to the TMB in time for it to be fully considered. 2.4. Briefing the TMB The TMBs generally arrange oral briefing sessions with NHRIs and NGOs prior to the interactive dialogue with the State. With some TMBs this occurs at the session immediately preceding the session at which the State is to appear; so generally four to six months in advance. In other TMBs it is held during or immediately before the session at which the State is to appear, perhaps the week before the formal session begins or during the session but a few days before the State appears. Whenever the briefing occurs, it is usually an informal occasion and does not constitute a formal meeting of the particular TMB. These briefings are important occasions in which TMB members can receive further information about the State and during which they can question the NHRI and NGO representatives about the contents of the various reports and submissions that have been provided to the members. The briefings will assist the TMB to shape the interactive dialogue. The NHRI should ensure that it thoroughly briefs the TMB member who is rapporteur for the State. The rapporteur will lead the interactive dialogue and, later, the preparation of the concluding observations and recommendations. 74 | Chapter 11: Treaty monitoring bodies: Monitoring compliance