Introduction for users Over the past 30 years national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in the Asia Pacific region have pioneered an innovative approach to their work, the creative methodology known as national inquiries. A national inquiry is an inquiry into a systemic human rights problem in which the general public is invited to participate. National inquiries are conducted in a transparent, public manner. They involve public evidence from witnesses and experts, directed towards the investigation of systemic patterns of human rights violation, and the identification of findings and recommendations. National inquiries require a wide range of expertise within the institution, including researchers, educators, investigators and people with experience in policy development. National inquiries implement a variety of functions of NHRIs, including investigation, analysis, reporting, advice and recommendations, public awareness raising and human rights education. One reason why the methodology is so creative is that it involves the implementation of all these functions, in a comprehensive, integrated manner, through the single process of a national inquiry. This manual explains what a national inquiry is, how it relates to the work of an NHRI as a whole and how it is undertaken. The manual begins with a short introduction to NHRIs, focusing in particular on the Paris Principles. It then discusses the concept of the national inquiry – what it is, when it is appropriate to undertake one, when it is not and what it can achieve. Most of the manual is directed towards a step-by-step description of how to undertake a national inquiry. Chapter 2 identifies the 14 steps in conducting a national inquiry. The steps are not consecutive steps. That is, they are not undertaken one after the other, with a new step starting only when the previous step has been completed. Rather, some steps are undertaken simultaneously or there may be movement back and forth among several steps. Each step, however, represents a different activity that is part of the national inquiry process. Each step is the subject of a separate chapter of the manual. In this way the manual shows what needs to be done in conducting a national inquiry and how it is to be done. The manual is intended to give NHRIs the basic information they require to consider whether to commence a national inquiry and then to conduct it. Introduction for users | 1