KEY ISSUES As the national human rights institution (NHRI), the Commission will play a significant role in the drafting of the NHRAP, as well as in monitoring its implementation. The Commission appreciates the Government’s initiative in engaging the Commission at the preparatory stage and hopes that this relationship will be strengthened through regular consultations and engagements. 9. UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW (UPR) While recognising that the State bears primary responsibility in implementing the UPR outcomes, other relevant stakeholders such as the NHRI can also play an essential role in ensuring implementation. Building on this basis, the Commission has undertaken the following steps: • The establishment of an internal committee on the UPR Follow-up; • The dissemination of the UPR process and outcomes to various stakeholders; • The facilitation of consultation with key stakeholders, in particular the relevant Government agencies, to obtain updates concerning the implementation of the UPR recommendations by the Government; and • The development of a checklist that contains the UPR recommendations and implementation progress by the Government. Malaysia is approaching the second-half of its four-year term to implement all the recommendations it adopted in 2009. Its progress in implementation will be revisited by the UPR Working Group in subsequent reviews. The Commission is pleased to note the Government’s initiative in establishing an Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee to implement the recommendations. However, the Commission is of the opinion that full realisation of the recommendations can only be measured after implementation, when tangible changes have been achieved in improving the state of human rights. In this regard, the Commission will continue working with the Government and other stakeholders in ensuring that the UPR follow-up process succeeds. 19