Annual Report 2011–2012 Introduction The Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) is a regional organisation that supports the establishment and strengthening of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in the Asia Pacific. The APF provides practical assistance and support to our individual member institutions to enable them to more effectively undertake their own human rights protection, monitoring, promotion and advocacy. The object of the APF is to protect and promote the human rights of the people of the Asia Pacific region. The Asia Pacific Forum The APF is a not-for-profit regional membership organisation. During the reporting period the APF was comprised of the following 18 member institutions: • the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission • the Australian Human Rights Commission • the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh • the National Human Rights Commission of India • the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights • the Jordan National Centre for Human Rights • the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia • the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives • the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia • the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal • the New Zealand Human Rights Commission • the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights • the Philippines Commission on Human Rights • the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar • the National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea • the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka • the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, and • Timor Leste Office of the Provedor for Human Rights and Justice. The APF delivers practical support projects to these 18 member institutions which, in total, have more than 135 Commission members and employ more than 3 000 staff. The APF works with its member NHRIs, local, regional and international non-government organisations (NGOs), governments and international organisations to bring about improvements in human rights. Further information of the APF and its individual members can be obtained from www.asiapacificforum.net. 3