Section 4 Engaging with others 4.1 Working with civil society Civil society encompasses a broad range of actors, including non-governmental organisations, professional associations, trade unions, academia, and faith-based groups. These civil society organisations (CSOs) play a crucial role in preventing torture, operating alongside NPMs with their own distinct mandates and methods. Particularly relevant CSOs include national and international human rights organisations, groups supporting vulnerable populations, detainee family associations, academics, unions, and professional associations such as those of lawyers and doctors. NPMs and CSOs can effectively complement each other’s work in preventing torture. NPMs have unique access rights and can compel authorities to engage in dialogue about recommendations, while CSOs often provide valuable field insights, raise public awareness, and possess specialised knowledge. Collaboration between NPMs and CSOs — through information exchange, joint efforts, or formal coalitions — can enhance their impact and strengthen each other’s mandates. CSOs are crucial in domestic advocacy for NPMs, and NPMs help ensure that detention facilities remain accessible to CSO monitoring efforts. In situations involving reprisals, NPMs and CSOs can also support each other in protecting their independence and effectiveness. How can NPMs and civil society organisations work together? To work together, NPMs and CSOs can collaborate in various ways, which are not mutually exclusive: • Exchanging information: Sharing information, within confidentiality limits, helps NPMs plan visits and identify priorities. CSOs provide valuable baseline data and insights, while NPM visit reports offer CSOs essential facts for advocacy. Public reports can encourage CSO contributions, enhancing both parties’ effectiveness. • Supporting each other’s activities and recommendations: CSOs can be of invaluable help in pushing NPM recommendations forward, when they advocate and support them with authorities, the media and the wider public. • Strengthening capacity: In several instances, CSOs have played an active role in building the capacity of their domestic NPM, especially at the early stages. NPMs can often rely on the expertise of CSOs in relation to institutional processes (from selection of NPM members to planning and communication), and substantial detention and detention monitoring issues. CSOs can also advocate for adequate resourcing for the NPM, as well as for the implementation of SPT recommendations related to the NPM. • Cooperating on specific activities: Several NPMs cooperate with individual experts including those who are members of CSOs. NPMs and CSOs may also collaborate on joint projects or in relation to specific visits or reports. Cooperation might include: advocacy with authorities; awareness-raising with the media or the wider public; and training and capacity-building of torture prevention stakeholders. NPM Toolkit for Asia Pacific NPM-NHRIs 37