Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions The first was at the 17th Annual Meeting of the APF held in Jordan, Amman on 5 November 2012. The APF promotes cooperation between NHRIs and NGOs and at each APF annual meeting, the APF facilities interaction and cooperation with the Asian NGOs Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI). ANNI held an NGO meeting in parallel with the APF’s annual meeting and representatives from ANNI were invited to meet with all APF member institutions during the APF’s Forum Councillor meeting. The APF’s Forum Councillors expressed their appreciation for the constructive contribution of ANNI. The second consultation was at the 6th Regional Consultation of ANNI held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 27–29 March 2013 which brought together 40 participants. Representatives of the APF secretariat, OHCHR and the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand also participated. The Chairperson of the APF and the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, Professor Amara Pongsapich, provided the meeting with an update on the activities of NHRIs at the international level. Professor Amara also hosted an NGO group visit to the office of the Commission. The APF secretariat reported on the APF’s programs and priorities and underlined the importance of the relationship between NHRIs and civil society organisations. The APF made a number of suggestions for future collaboration between ANNI and APF member institutions. These suggestions contributed to ANNI’s strategic planning and were incorporated into the outcome document of the meeting. Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions From 14–18 January 2013, the APF participated in a meeting of the Arab Network of NHRIs, held in Doha, Qatar and hosted by the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar. Dr Ali bin Futais Al Marri, Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar and President of the Arab Network for NHRIs, addressed the opening session of a conference on strengthening the capacity of national institutions for human rights in the Arab region. The aim of the conference was to support NHRIs to build their capacity and address the human rights challenges in the Arab world and ensure that countries do not retreat from the positive changes that they have achieved so far. The APF presented on the requirements of the Paris Principles and on the role of NHRIs in the UPR mechanism, focusing particularly on recommendations common to States in the Middle East and north Africa region. Middle Eastern market scene. UN Photo by Shareef Sarhan. 26 | 2. Enhance members’ communication, cooperation and engagement