NHRI Guidelines for Mainstreaming the Human Rights of Women and Girls into Our Everyday Work and enabling mechanisms. Document reviews were conducted as well as series of interviews and focus group discussions. The results of the audit were processed by the experts and a final report was submitted to the Commission. Since its submission, the final report has been presented to the Chairperson and the Focal Commissioner, as well as the Commission’s directorate during the Strategic Planning Session of 2018. It was also taken into consideration in the preparation of plans for 2020 and the preparation and consultations for the development of the Commission’s Gender and Development Vision, Mission, Goals and Agenda. Steps have also been undertaken to address gaps identified in the report; for instance, in 2018, the Commission’s Strategic Plan already includes Gender and Development (GAD) as one of its key indicators and GAD-related work of the Commission’s staff is already included in the performance evaluation. Upon its approval, the Commission will disseminate the report to all its regional offices. The publication of the participatory gender audit tools and processes is also underway. Recommendations In general, the audit surfaced the most pressing concerns of the Commission’s staff and officers in undertaking its Gender Ombud work and in complying with the gender mainstreaming requirements of the Magna Carta. The final report reflects the voices and sentiments of the staff covering the four major areas of assessment. The key recommendations from the report are: 1. Amendment of the current gender focal point system to include regional directors and offices and the adoption of gender mainstreaming guidelines in the Commission to complement the existing Gender Ombud Guidelines, which is ‘client-focused’ rather than organisation-focused 2. Inclusion in the gender mainstreaming guidelines the analysis and use of GAD data and information in planning and budgeting as well as monitoring and evaluation 3. Development of a GAD agenda and time-bound strategic plan, aligning the same with the Commission’s strategic plan 4. Alignment of GAD plans and budget with the Agency Plan 5. Establishment of a GAD-knowledge management system and mapping of gender related indicators relevant to the work of the Commission 6. Inclusion of gender mainstreaming and Gender Ombud functions in the performance indicators of staff 7. Conduct of strategic and systematic capacity building on GAD and gender mainstreaming for central and regional office staff 8. Enhance capacities and multiply champions for gender mainstreaming in the top management level 9. Purposeful and strategic targeting of external clients in the conduct PAPs and the conduct of more trainings on the relevance of gender mainstreaming in the Commission’s work. These are just some of the recommendations from the audit, as the report, including the recommendations, is extensive. To address the recommendations strategically, the Commission is in the process of adopting a GAD agenda and prioritising the issues raised in the audit and those raised by reports and consultations with CSO and government partners. In conclusion, the audit has enabled the Commission to identify existing gaps in its compliance with the Magna Carta and its efforts towards gender mainstreaming as an NHRI. The process has enabled a more grounded approach to strategic planning and agenda setting within the institution. 56