NHRIs make capacity assessment reports public

The national human rights institutions (NHRIs) of Uzbekistan and Myanmar have both released the findings and recommendations of recent capacity assessments, sharing this information with representatives from government, NGOs and international partners at public events in their respective countries.

The Ombudsman of Uzbekistan, who leads the country's NHRI, released the capacity assessment report at a gathering in Tashkent on 14 March.

APF Expert NHRI Consultant Rosslyn Noonan, who led the capacity assessment in Uzbekistan, praised the leadership of the Ombudsman.

"I commend the openness and transparency of the Ombudsman and his commitment to strengthen the NHRI so it can be a powerful advocate for human rights in the country," Ms Noonan said in a video statement.

Helena Fraser, UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan, and Ryszard Komenda, OHCHR Regional Representative for Central Asia, also spoke at the event.

The APF, in partnership with OHCHR and UNDP, conducted the two-week capacity assessment with the Office of the Ombudsman between 24 September and 5 October 2018.

Many of the recommendations from the capacity assessment were focused on supporting the small staff of the NHRI to manage the heavy human rights workload.

The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, which undertook a capacity assessment in November 2018, also released the results of its capacity assessment at a public event in Yangon on 18 March.

The event was attended by representatives from OHCHR, UNDP and other local and international partners.

"I want to commend the Commission for this event," Kieren Fitzpatrick, Director of the APF secretariat, said in a statement.

"It is evidence of your commitment to further strengthening the Commission and developing its effectiveness in promoting and protecting human rights," he said.

The APF, UNDP and OHCHR have conducted capacity assessments for 21 NHRIs in the Asia Pacific region since 2008. Many NHRIs have also participated in capacity assessment reviews and follow-up assessments.

The process employs a self-assessment model, with small group discussions and surveys to collect and distil the insights of those working within the NHRI, as well as to gather the perceptions of parliamentarians and government leaders, government agencies and civil society organisations with which the NHRI engages.

Following each capacity assessment, a report is prepared that proposes strategies to strengthen the NHRI as a whole, to develop the capacities of staff individually and collectively, and to make the internal processes of the NHRI more effective and more efficient.

Date: 19 March 2019