Providing advice and support We helped to build momentum for NHRIs in the Pacific In 2020-21 we worked with government counterparts in the Cook Islands, Kiribati and Vanuatu as part of ongoing discussions in those states around establishing an NHRI. We also developed a version of the APF online course Understanding NHRIs and the Paris Principles for the Pacific context, with the aim of supporting officials in Pacific Island countries and territories as they work towards the establishment of NHRIs in their countries. Outcome 1: APF membership is increased A total of 29 participants from the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu undertook this online course in March 2021. A fundamental goal of the APF is to support the establishment of independent NHRIs in the region and to strengthen the mandates of those that already exist. To support this outcome the APF provides advice to governments, NHRIs, and civil society groups on the unique status of NHRIs, their roles and functions, their relationship with government, parliament, and civil society, and the international accreditation process. 25 APF MEMBERS Our impact We met our target of 25 members in advance of our 2020 deadline. We supported APF members on accreditation APF member institutions, along with NHRIs from around the world, take part in a regular accreditation process by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) to assess their compliance with the Paris Principles. We support members and new institutions to undertake the accreditation process, by providing advice on preparing the written application, preparing for the interview with GANHRI’s sub-committee on accreditation (SCA), and responding to the SCA’s post-session report. We supported the establishment of NHRIs in the Asia Pacific region We know the profound difference that strong NHRIs make in the countries in which they operate. That is why one of our priorities is to assist governments in our region to establish independent and effective NHRIs. In the past year, we provided over 162 hours of advice to governments and our members on NHRI legislation, as part of our program on NHRI establishment. This included advising the Government of Cambodia on the establishment of a new NHRI, providing advice on its draft legislation to support compliance with the Paris Principles.1 The Cambodian Government has since commenced a broad-based public consultation process on an advanced draft of the legislation, with submissions invited from a range of stakeholders. 1 10 We were also engaged by the Human Rights Commissioner of Kazakhstan to support the strengthening of its human rights mandate in national legislation. A revised draft of the proposed legislation is currently before the national parliament. We will continue to support the Commissioner and her office in consultations with the Senate. In the past year, we also held preliminary discussions with NHRIs, governments, and international organisations in the Marshall Islands, Thailand, Tonga, and Uzbekistan on NHRI legislation. The NHRIs of Malaysia, Iraq, and Fiji were reviewed at the SCA’s June 2021 session, with Malaysia reaccredited with ‘A status’, non-member institution Fiji receiving ‘B status’ and Iraq upgraded from ‘B status’ to ‘A status’ due to its efforts in responding to a highly challenging operating environment. The Asia Pacific NHRIs accredited at these sessions were among the first to have undergone the accreditation process after participating in the APF’s inaugural accreditation workshop held in January 2020. “The APF has continued to provide its invaluable advice and expertise through its online community networks, the Leadership Outreach Programme, Regional Action Plan on Human Rights Defenders, and expert legal and technical advice for SUHAKAM’s re-accreditation process.” Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), APF Annual Member Survey 2020-21 In 2020-21, we provided 210 hours of work supporting NHRIs with accreditation, with a further 397 hours spent supporting the SCA through our role as the regional network observer. The SCA’s accreditation sessions for 2020 and 2021 were held virtually, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. The Office of the Ombudsman of Uzbekistan received a ‘B status’ recommendation at the December SCA 2020 session, in recognition of the efforts it had made to protect and promote human rights despite the challenging context in which it operates. With its GANHRI accreditation, the Ombudsman now satisfies one of the key prerequisites for membership of the APF. The Paris Principles set out the minimum standards required by NHRIs to be considered independent and to operate effectively. ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS ANNUAL REPORT 2020/21 11