Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions Since its inception in 1996, APF membership has steadily risen, as shown in Figure 7. Fifteen out of the APF’s 19 member institutions currently have “A status”. This reflects a global rising trend in the accreditation of NHRIs, although this trend has softened in recent years, both in the Asia Pacific and globally. Figure 7: APF membership from 1996 to 2013 (“A” and “B status”) 20 18 16 “A status” “B status” 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Currently in the Asia Pacific region the NHRIs of Bangladesh, the Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka have been accredited “B status” by the ICC and, as a result, are associate members of the APF. Accreditation by the ICC is an ongoing process which may entail either the upgrading or downgrading of the status of individual NHRIs. The accreditation process aims to be comprehensive, rigorous and transparent. It is conducted by the ICC Sub-Committee on Accreditation which is comprised of one representative from each of the four ICC regions of Africa, the Americas, the Asia Pacific and Europe, who are supported by their regional NHRIs secretariats. It considers the following: • information provided by the NHRI including, a statement of compliance with the Paris Principles; its founding/empowering legislation or instrument; an outline of its organisational structure, including staffing and budget; its most recent annual report and any other relevant documents • a summary of issues relevant to the application, which is prepared by the National Institutions and Regional Mechanisms Section of the OHCHR and provided to the NHRI for its review and response, and • reports from other organisations, such as national or regional civil society organisations, that are able to provide information on the work of the NHRI. Accreditation reviews of “A status” institutions occur every five years. The ICC Sub-Committee on Accreditation meets twice a year, normally in March and November. The APF provides support to its regional representative on the sub-committee. At its meetings in November 2012 and May 2013, the sub-committee considered the accreditation, reaccreditation or review of 32 NHRIs. The sub-committee also revised all existing general observations and drafted three additional general observations on: • NHRIs operating as national preventative mechanisms under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment • assessing the performance of NHRIs for the purposes of accreditation, and • NHRIs with quasi-judicial competence. 34 | 3. Promote compliance with the Paris Principles