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New resource to help NHRIs demonstrate impact

Graphic: Staff of Samoa's NHRI take part in a radio interview

The APF is preparing a guide to support national human rights institutions better demonstrate their impact to promote and protect human rights.

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The APF is currently preparing a guide to support national human rights institutions (NHRIs) better demonstrate their impact to promote and protect human rights.

The guide on developing a monitoring and evaluation framework will be a practical resource to help NHRIs report more comprehensively on the human rights outcomes of their work and tell a compelling story of what they have been able to achieve.

"NHRIs operate in very complex social and political contexts which means progress on human rights issues requires a long-term approach," APF Manager of Capacity Development Kate Turner-Mann said.

"Given this complexity, it makes sense that NHRIs may tend to report on immediate outputs rather than longer-term outcomes," she said.

"However, understanding that broader narrative helps build trust and credibility with the different communities and stakeholders the NHRI works with."


Graphic: Staff from the NHRI of Timor Leste


The guide will provide NHRIs with step-by-step instructions on how to develop a robust monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEAL) framework to:

  • Evaluate the effectiveness of their institution
  • Demonstrate the impact of their work
  • Reflect and adjust their strategies and priorities
  • Generate a data-driven picture of their work.

"An effective MEAL framework can also support the NHRI's broader management functions and encourage a learning culture within the organisation," Ms Turner-Mann said.

The guide on monitoring and evaluation, to be published in the second half of 2020, will complement the APF Guide to Strategic Planning and its Toolkit.

It will draw on the experiences of Samoa's Office of the Ombudsman and their steps to establish and embed a monitoring and evaluation framework in their operations of the NHRI.

Date: 22 April 2020


Image credits

  1. Staff of Samoa's NHRI take part in a radio interview - Office of the Ombudsman of Samoa
  2. Staff from the NHRI of Timor Leste - Provdeora of Human Rights and Justice