1 NHRI MODELS AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK 21 The “classical” Ombudsperson offices or institutions have a general mandate to investigate maladministration,14 namely poor or failed administration, with no specific human rights mandate. They provide individual legal protection and complaint-handling in relation to administrative deficiencies. Most Ombudsperson offices in the OSCE region today are hybrid institutions, combining their mandate to address maladministration with a broader mandate to investigate human rights violations. Other less common models include human rights advisory commissions and research institutes. In general, institutions of this nature issue advice, reports and/or recommendations on human rights, but do not handle individual complaints. questions to consider For NHRIs with a broad mandate, in states with a single human rights institution: ? Does the NHRI systematically identify and address issues that affect women’s rights and gender equality across all programme areas? ? If the NHRI has many existing responsibilities, how can it ensure that the work on women’s rights and gender equality receives continuous attention and adequate resources? ? If the NHRI has received new responsibilities, how can it ensure that it maintains focus on women’s rights and gender equality, and integrates women’s rights and gender aspects into new areas of responsibility? 14 Maladministration occurs if an institution fails to act in accordance with the law, fails to respect the principles of good administration, or violates human rights. Some examples are administrative irregularities, unfairness, discrimination, abuse of power, failure to reply, refusal of information, or unnecessary delay. European Ombudsman, What is maladministration?