1.4 COMMUNICATION AND INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT A. INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION AND MEDIA RELATIONS OVERVIEW In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries worldwide have undertaken emergency measures, including the closure of international borders and the implementation of lockdowns. Hence, international meetings were either postponed indefinitely or cancelled altogether because of travel restrictions and health and safety measures to limit the spread of the virus. Nevertheless, SUHAKAM continued to engage actively with the Human Rights Council, UN bodies and various NHRI networks, including via online platforms. Media relations play a vital part in maintaining and improving SUHAKAM’s public profile. As such, SUHAKAM increased its presence via various approaches, including issuing statements on pressing human rights issues, sharing of information on its activities via social media platform and media interviews. 1. SUHAKAM’s RE-ACCREDITATION SUHAKAM is going through its fourth re-accreditation process, which occurs every five years. The review process was scheduled for October 2020. However, this was postponed to June 2021 due to the pandemic. In preparation for its re-accreditation, SUHAKAM participated in the Asia Pacific Forum of NHRIs (APF) Workshop on Accreditation from 20 – 22 January in Doha, Qatar. The workshop’s objective was to increase APF Members’ knowledge on the accreditation process and GANHRI Sub Committee on Accreditations’ (SCA) procedures and improve the accreditation outcomes for prospective and existing APF members. On 4 August, SUHAKAM organised a consultation in Kuala Lumpur to share with stakeholders, build their understanding of SUHAKAM’s upcoming reaccreditation and its impact on the promotion and protection of human 48 ANNUAL REPORT 2020