Empowering National Human Rights Institutions to Advance Rights-Based Climate Action 51 disaster response and human rights monitoring. These financial challenges also limit the ability of NHRIs to provide training and build the necessary technical capacity among their staff. In NHRC Nepal, for instance, budgetary restrictions undermine the effectiveness of monitoring and reporting on climate change impacts, leaving NHRIs ill-equipped to handle the scale and complexity of these issues. Overall, all targeted NHRIs acknowledged that they face multifaceted capacity gaps in human resources, knowledge, internal policies, and technical tools, compounded by financial constraints. Addressing these gaps will require concerted efforts to build staff expertise, develop specific climate-related policies and guidelines, and equip NHRIs with the technical and financial resources needed to integrate human rights into CCMA initiatives effectively. B. Gaps in Practice Gaps in NHRIs practice is another critical measure to identify where they currently are and where they should be. In mapping out the gaps in practice, focus was placed in identifying their current engagement with diverse stakeholders, working with affected individuals and communities, engaging with civil society, HRDs, and corporate sector, and coordination with international mechanisms in relation to CCMA initiatives. } Engagement with Diverse Stakeholders and Affected Individuals and Communities All six NHRIs indicated that they face different levels of challenges in addressing climate change issues effectively. These challenges include limited engagement with vulnerable communities directly affected by climate change, insufficient collaboration with EHRDs and climate change experts, and exclusion from or limited engagement with national climate policy consultations. NHRIs have to work with weak internal mechanisms for reaching out to affected individuals and communities, often lacking the capacity to link climate change to human rights violations and address the needs of marginalised populations. Gender-related vulnerabilities and the voices of vulnerable groups are frequently overlooked in climate policymaking. Engagement with CSOs and business corporations remains underdeveloped, with limited formal recognition of climate-focused CSOs and bureaucratic hurdles impeding collaboration. NHRIs have not adequately assessed business practices regarding climate change mitigation, and there is a general lack of sustainable relationships between NHRIs, civil society, EHRDs, and the corporate sector, which limits opportunities for joint monitoring and advocacy on climate and human rights issues.

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