Capacity Assessment Manual for National Human Rights Institutions 2. Leadership: the abilities of the NHRI’s leaders (commissioners or ombudsman and senior to middle management) to: • ensure the independence of the NHRI • foster plural representation, including of women and of minorities within NHRI staff at all levels • strengthen relationships with external stakeholders • develop, communicate and guide the NHRI’s vision, mission and values, based on the universal standards of human rights • create an environment that motivates and supports right holders, including NHRI staff. 3. Knowledge: the capacity to put in place and operationalise a long-term staff development strategy aimed at strengthening the individual skills and general understanding of NHRI staff to carry out their mandate effectively and improve their overall functioning. This includes internal standard operating procedures and structures, as well as the national and international human rights framework. There should be a distinct focus on development for staff who have experienced historic gender-based and other disadvantages. 4. Accountability: the institutional ability to ensure accountability both of individuals and of the NHRI as a whole in carrying out the mandate of the NHRI in preventing human rights violations and enforcing human rights laws. These capacities include abilities to: • strengthen the integrity of the NHRI and the perception of its integrity internally and externally • increase public participation and build coalitions • increase access to and use of information • regularly monitor and evaluate internal projects and programs. 5. Technical and functional capacities: the particular individual skill sets of NHRI leaders and staff, including the institutional and individual capacity to perform necessary functions and actions. A capacity to perform a necessary function or action may require a number of skills. Technical capacities will include sufficient background knowledge and a deep understanding of the issues, and functional capacities will include the ability to undertake the specific responsibilities of the individual person’s position. Some typical technical and functional capacities required in an NHRI are the capacities to • assess a situation and define vision and mandate • formulate policies and strategies • investigate, handle and manage complaints of human rights violation • conduct human rights analysis • inquire into systemic human rights issues • advocate and provide authoritative human rights advice and guidance, including on the compliance of existing and new laws and of policies and practices with international human rights obligations • raise human rights awareness and promote human rights education • engage with stakeholders, especially with victims of human rights violations and those at risk of violation and with members of historically disadvantaged groups, including women and girls and members of minorities • monitor, evaluate and report. The core capacity issues will differ from NHRI to NHRI and so each issue for a particular NHRI will need to be developed and drafted according to the way in which that issue is framed in the discussion groups in that NHRI’s CA. Some examples of core capacity issues are provided in Appendix 7 to assist CA teams to identify and formulate these issues. Chapter 3: The recommended steps in conducting a capacity assessment for a national human rights institution | 29