Building stronger National human rights institutions 3 17 From conducting inquiries and investigating complaints through to running education programs and advising government on laws and policies, NHRIs work at the frontline to promote and protect human rights. very high high medium low very low no response The APF provides a range of services to support our members to be as effective as possible, often in challenging political and social contexts. ANNUAL MEMBER SURVEY 2019: VALUE TO MEMBERS OF BUILDING STRONGER NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS During the year, the APF assisted the NHRIs of the Philippines (August 2018), Uzbekistan (September 2018), Myanmar (November 2018) and India (December 2018) to conduct a capacity assessment of their institutions. The goal is to support NHRIs to identify practical steps they can take to strengthen their institutions in order to deliver the human rights change they want to see, especially for vulnerable communities. A report with recommendations is provided to the NHRI at the conclusion of the capacity assessment. The APF has conducted capacity assessments with 22 NHRIs in the region, facilitated in partnership with UNDP and OHCHR. The commitment shown by NHRIs to implement capacity assessment recommendations demonstrates a genuine desire to strengthen their institutions and improve their effectiveness. Just 48 recommendations are yet to implemented across all capacity assessments completed prior to this year, down from 239 in 2015 and 144 in 2016. Many commended the quality of the report and full participation of the Commissioners and staff in the process, as well as making the report accessible to the public. U WIN MRA CHAIRPERSON, MYANMAR NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION 10 ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS 5 WHAT WE ACHIEVED IN 2018–19 • Supported four NHRIs to strengthen their institutional capacity to promote and protect human rights • Provided 258 representatives from NHRIs and other organisations with training and capacity development opportunities • More than 80% of APF members said they had improved capacity to do their work Each year our members provide a self-assessment of their institutional capacity. This year, 18 of the 22 members (82%) that responded indicated their capacity was either ‘a little higher’ or ‘a lot higher’ than last year, with nine citing APF support as a factor in their increased capacity.