Chapter 1 – Report of the Policy, Law and Complaints Group The Commission believes that if the Government were to respond to and prioritise the 113 UPR recommendations accepted in full at the Second UPR, it would essentially reflect the five core thrusts of the NHRAP, namely, Civil and Political Rights; Economic, Social, Religion and Cultural Rights; Rights of Vulnerable Groups; Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and International Obligations, as well as a newly-incorporated special chapter on Sabah and Sarawak in the proposed NHRAP. Similar to the NHRAP, the UPR recommendations would involve Governmental efforts in the enactment, abolition, strengthening, and/or review of laws, in order to ensure greater promotion and protection of human rights. In November, the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department (BHEUU) appointed Hazizah & Co. as the Consultant in the development of the NHRAP. The Commission would like to reiterate its recommendation that the proposed NHRAP to be developed by the Consultant should be practical, achievable, and action-oriented. Bearing in mind that at the first Steering Committee Meeting of the NHRAP in December 2013, it was agreed that the development of the NHRAP would be completed in 2016 and the implementation phase of the NHRAP would begin from 2017 to 2021, the Commission therefore urges the Government to ensure that the development of the NHRAP by the Consultant strictly adheres to the timeline given, which is within 18 months (November 2015 to April 2017), so as to avoid further delay. 5. PARLIAMENTARY SELECT COMMITTEE Following the Government’s announcement in October 2012 of its intention to establish a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on human rights, the Commission has been actively engaging and holding discussions with the relevant stakeholders, including BHEUU, to push this agenda forward. The Commission has also submitted a proposal paper on the establishment of a PSC, which includes its proposed terms of reference, its membership, and the period of its establishment, to YB Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan and YB Puan Hajah Nancy Shukri. The establishment of a PSC would serve as an interim measure towards the ultimate goal of full Parliamentary debate on the Commission’s Annual Report and all human rights issues, something that would surely strengthen the democratic process. 6. RESEARCH ON THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY This year, the Commission has agreed to undertake a baseline study to obtain information on discrimination faced by the transgender community in the country. However, due to financial constraints, as the decision to conduct the study was made later in the year, the Commission decided that the study would commence in early 2016. The purpose of this study is to analyse the issues of the transgender community, with the following objectives: 44 BOOK-ANR2016-01-latest.indb 44 08/04/2016 3:32 PM