73 7 ORGANIZING NHRIs TO ACHIEVE WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY While planning is important within the entire organization and work of the NHRI, it is especially relevant, if not critical, for women’s rights and gender equality. Long-term investments are required to sustain the efforts needed to achieve a culture change and to eliminate systemic gender-based bias and discrimination. Because NHRIs are autonomous institutions, they must undertake their own strategic-planning processes, independently of governments, and they must identify their own priorities in line with their mandates. It is, indeed, possible that the state may view certain aspects of women’s rights or gender equality as priorities, but that the NHRI may choose different ones, based on complaints from women or on its own research. The Paris Principles require NHRIs to engage with external stakeholders; this includes not only NGOs but also specialized institutions. Consultation with specialized institutions and NGOs can help to define the organizations’ respective roles and responsibilities and promote collaboration in strategic areas. Because the OSCE region contains a large number of NHRIs working alongside specialized institutions (which also work on gender equality and anti-discrimination), a strategic and collaborative approach to planning takes on a special significance. Priorities of NHRIs in the OSCE Region The ODIHR survey collected information on gender equality and women’s rights priorities of NHRIs in the OSCE region. The following areas were identified as top priorities: Priorities identified by NHRIs in the OSCE area 70 60 Discimination 50 Violence against women 40 Human traffficking 30 Health 20 Participation 10 0