Collaborating for change 3 12 Despite the diverse social, cultural and political environments in which they operate, APF members face a raft of common human rights challenges. Further, a growing number of human rights violations – like human trafficking, exploitation of migrant workers and the impact of corporate activities – can cross multiple borders. This year the APF convened meetings and professional networks that provided opportunities for collaboration among our members, including the: • APF Annual Meeting and Biennial Conference, which focused on the role of NHRIs to protect human rights in times of conflict (November 2018, hosted by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission) • Senior Executive Officers Network, which agreed to develop operation guides that showcase good practice in areas of NHRI management (August 2017, hosted by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia) • Communications Network, which discussed social media campaigns, education and advocacy strategies, and the practice of digital storytelling (November 2017, hosted by the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh). CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITIES THROUGH DIGITAL STORIES With social media an essential platform for human rights advocacy, representatives from 20 APF members have developed practical skills in producing digital stories to connect with online communities. They learned the basic elements of video production – including how to edit interviews filmed on a smart phone, add overlay footage and mix in music – during a three-day meeting of the APF Communications Network, hosted by the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh. 14 ASIA PACIFIC FORUM OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS 8 very high high medium low very low no response ANNUAL MEMBER SURVEY 2018: VALUE TO MEMBERS OF COLLABORATING AND SHARING KNOWLEDGE It means that collaboration is increasingly important to monitor and counter human rights abuses. One of the great strengths of the APF is the collegiality that exists between our members and their desire to collaborate and share their knowledge and expertise. 1 WHAT WE ACHIEVED IN 2017–18 • Brought Commissioners and staff of APF members together to share expertise and identify areas for joint projects and advocacy • Finalised the translation of an Arabiclanguage APF website to make human rights information accessible to NHRIs and partners in West Asia “THE CONNECTION AND COLLEGIALITY IN THE GROUP WAS EXCEPTIONAL.” ��THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHER PARTICIPANTS HAS INSPIRED ME.” APF COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK The meeting was also an opportunity to share their experiences on advocacy and community education, discuss common challenges and work together on exercises where they responded to real life media crisis scenarios. A number of APF members – including Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Palestine and Samoa – have now begun producing digital stories to raise human rights issues and start online conversations.