Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions It is anticipated that once Mongolia ratifies OPCAT, the Human Rights Commission of Mongolia will be designated as Mongolia’s NPM. This will give the Commission responsibility for conducting monitoring visits to prisons, police stations, pre-trial detention centres and all other places in Mongolia where people may be detained. The national training program – led by the APT and supported by the APF and the Open Society Foundation – was held for Commission staff to explore the theory and practice of undertaking effective monitoring visits. The program, led by Marco Mona, a member of the APT’s Advisory Council and a representative of Switzerland’s NPM, included a visit to a pre-trial detention centre in Ulaanbaatar where Commission staff inspected the facilities and conducted interviews with detainees. In addition, two half-day events were organised by the Commission to build understanding about the requirements of OPCAT among a number of key Mongolian institutions and organisations. On 31 October 2013, a meeting was held with around 200 law enforcement personnel representing government agencies regarding the prevention of torture, including the General Intelligence Agency and the State Investigation Office. Discussions focused on existing areas of cooperation with the Commission, which form part of its torture prevention memorandum of understanding with five government agencies. Later that day, a meeting was organised with representatives from a number of other closed institutions – including psychiatric institutions, juvenile justice facilities, aged care homes, orphanages and ‘soberingup’ centres – to explain the role and activities of the future NPM, including visits to all places where persons are deprived of their liberty. Media and communications Representatives from the NHRIs of South Asia participated in a blended learning course to share experiences and develop skills in engaging the media on the pressing human rights issues in their countries. Media training resource. The blended learning course was facilitated by APF media consultant James Iliffe; Professor Judy McGregor, former Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner with the New Zealand Human Rights Commission; and APF cccredited trainer Aishath Fasoha from the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives. The four-week online course, which ran from 17 February – 16 March 2014, explored the rapidly expanding role of social media in sharing information, connecting people and promoting community action on human rights issues. As part of the blended learning course, 20 participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka contributed to online discussions on: • working effectively with the media • tools and strategies to engage journalists • using social media – possibilities and pitfalls, and • supporting journalists in their work and promoting freedom of expression. Participants who successfully completed the online course then took part in a face-to-face workshop in Male’, the Maldives, from 7-10 April 2014, which was hosted by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives. 12