Strong organisational leadership and governance Outcome 4: APF is member owned and well managed We strengthened connections with regional mechanisms The APF’s Inter-Governmental Mechanisms (IGM) Project commenced in July 2020 with the aim of building and strengthening relationships between NHRIs in the SouthEast Asia and Pacific sub-regions with their respective IGMs: the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Unlike other regions of the world, the Asia Pacific does not have a regional human rights mechanism for addressing rights violations. Building relationships and links between organisations is therefore vital to addressing some of the key human rights issues facing the region. In May 2021, we completed our baseline study for the project to assess the levels of knowledge, awareness, and engagement between NHRIs and IGMs. The study found that both NHRI and IGM participants see great value in strengthening their relationships and collaborating on human rights issues. The thematic issue of ‘environmental rights and climate change’ was selected for the project, based on priority issues identified during the study. The APF is an independent, non-profit organisation, with a board of directors – the Forum Council – reflecting the regional diversity of our membership. As an organisation, we seek to operate according to the highest levels of accountability, efficiency, transparency and member participation. “The APF has actively monitored and engaged with UN mechanisms and conveyed the views of its members to the UN system. Also, amid the spread of COVID-19, the APF has shared information about the response measures adopted by the UN and members across the network in a timely manner” National Human Rights Commission of Korea, APF Annual Member Survey 2020 – 2021 Our impact We implemented new policies to equip us to more effectively and efficiently manage and strengthen our operations and meet the needs of our growing membership. We transitioned to a fully remote workplace, enabling us to reduce our overhead costs. We strengthened our communications, including expanding our social media presence to connect with APF members and a wider audience. We strengthened our internal operations In the past year, the APF transitioned to a fully remote workplace, allowing us to reduce our overhead costs. We also developed a ‘digital first’ approach to service delivery, to ensure that resources, training and mentoring were available during the COVID-19 pandemic. These Looking forward measures have resulted in considerable savings, which We will continue to work closely with stakeholders across our region to implement the Regional Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders. for our members. We will continue to work on the IGM Project in the next 12 months, to bring NHRIs and human rights closer to regional mechanisms in the South-East Asia and Pacific sub-regions. The project activities – which include blended learning courses, online communities of practice, a small grants program for targeted national projects, and sub-regional dialogues – will focus on strengthening NHRI-IGM engagement on the human rights dimension of climate change and environmental issues. introducing new policies on child protection and the have been put towards additional services and resources We also strengthened our internal operations by prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. We developed a new procurement policy to set out the criteria and processes for issuing requests for proposals to external consultants, and a new grants policy for the delivery of funding grants to APF members in line with 22 ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS the APF’s Procurement Policy and Financial Management Guidelines (FMG). During the reporting period the APF commissioned an independent audit of the APF’s FMG. The independent audit found that the FMG remained relevant to the work of the APF and complied with all the relevant governance regulations and requirements and both Australian and international auditing standards. In line with an internal audit commissioned by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) in 2019, the APF commenced an independent employee benchmarking process in June 2021. The results and outcomes of this independent process will be sent to the APF Governance Committee for their consideration and action. ANNUAL REPORT 2020/21 23