Second: Parallel Reports to Treaty Bodies (Committees) 5. The provisions of the Law granted the NIHR the competence to examine the compatibility of legislative and regulatory provisions with regional and international treaties concerned with human rights issues, including to make recommendations on accession to relevant regional and international conventions, submit parallel reports, contribute to the drafting and discussion of the periodic reports that the Kingdom undertakes to submit and convey its observations thereon, in implementation of regional and international conventions on human rights, and disseminate such reports in the media, and cooperate with national bodies, regional and international organizations, and relevant institutions in other countries. 6. In this regard, the NIHR prepared and submitted the Parallel Report on the Fourth Periodic Report of the Kingdom of Bahrain submitted to the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The report included the role of the NIHR in the field of promoting and protecting women’s rights, progress made in implementing the provisions of the Convention on issues related to violence against women, trafficking and exploitation, participation in political life, working women, expatriate and domestic workers, the right to health, and marriage and family relations and the economic consequences of divorce. In conclusion, the report presented the efforts of the NIHR, from its annual reports, and its constructive cooperation with the Supreme Council for Women in promoting and protecting women’s rights. Third: Human rights research fellowship program 7. Seeking to contribute to the research and intellectual movement in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and to activate Article (12) of its Establishment Law regarding conducting research and studies, the NIHR has launched the “Human Rights Research Fellowship Program” for individuals interested in conducting independent research on topics related to civil, political, economic, social, and cultural human rights. This program aims to develop skills in critical thinking and analysis in the field of human rights, to support and develop innovation and creativity skills to find the best ways to promote and protect human rights, as well as to strengthen partnership with international organizations and universities working in the field of human rights through the exchange of experiences. 8. The Research Fellowship Program, which ranges from two to twelve weeks, targets academics, university students, human rights defenders, and all those interested in conducting research in the field of human rights. 9. A number of students and individuals interested in conducting research on human rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain participated in the Research Fellowship Program in its first session of 2019. Research topics submitted by the participants varied; the most prominent research proposals were 67