WORKING TOGETHER FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS In December 2016, the NHRIs of Nepal and Qatar signed an 11-point “action plan” to protect the rights of Nepali migrant workers in the Gulf country. Key elements of the plan include appointing a contact person in the respective NHRIs to exchange information; delivering training to private employment agencies; and providing legal support to Nepali workers in Qatar. The APF and the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar also hosted a workshop in November 2016 to strengthen the work of NHRIs in countries of origin, transit and destination for migrant workers. Representatives from the NHRIs of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Nepal, Palestine, Philippines and Qatar, as well as representatives from the Saudi Government, attended the two-day workshop. ADVOCATING TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY Over the past year, a number of APF members have taken a strong stand against the death penalty, including in Malaysia and Palestine, and the proposed reintroduction of the death penalty in the Philippines. Despite positive developments in other parts of the world, there is patchy progress towards the abolition of the death penalty in countries across the Asia Pacific. A new report by the APF highlighted the pivotal role that NHRIs can play to reduce the use of the death penalty in their countries; for example, by making recommendations to amend their State’s criminal code, by monitoring trials in all capital cases, and by monitoring pre-trial and post-trial detention. To bolster their efforts, we have invited APF members to submit a project proposal to reduce the use of the death penalty in their respective countries. We will provide financial and technical support for those members whose projects are selected. ANNUAL REPORT 2016–17 17