UNDP-OHCHR TOOLKIT one refugee camp). NGOs play a major role in influencing United Nations policy, and many of them have official consultative status at the UN. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): A department of the United Nations Secretariat, mandated to promote and protect the enjoyment and full realization, by all people, of all rights established in the Charter of the United Nations and in international human rights laws and treaties. It is led by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Its mandate includes preventing human rights violations, securing respect for all human rights, promoting international cooperation to protect human rights, coordinating related activities throughout the United Nations, and strengthening and streamlining the United Nations system in the field of human rights. In addition to its mandated responsibilities, the Office leads efforts to integrate a human rights approach within all work carried out by United Nations agencies. Ombudsman: An Ombudsman can be any third party who deals with conflicts on a confidential basis and gives disputants information on how to resolve the problem at issue. In human rights terms, the Ombudsman is an Officer, independent of the government and political parties. The Ombudsman’s job is to ensure the accountability of government through effective overseeing of the administration of government services in his or her jurisdiction. Ombudsman office: An autonomous national institution, independent of the government and political parties, that ensures the accountability of government through effectively overseeing the administration of government services in its jurisdiction. The ‘classical’ Ombudsman office is not an NHRI. Optional protocol: Very often, human rights treaties are followed by “optional protocols” which may either provide for procedures with regard to the treaty or address a substantive area related to the treaty. Optional protocols to human rights treaties are treaties in their own right, and are open to signature, accession or ratification by countries who are party to the main treaty. A party to the main treaty can opt but is not required to sign, accede or ratify the optional protocol. Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OP-CAT): Adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 2002 . It is an international treaty that establishes”a system of regular visits undertaken by independent international and national bodies to xviii places where people are deprived of their liberty, in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” (Art. 1). The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment oversees the system. Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 2008. It is an international treaty that establishes a complaint mechanism for the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. States parties consent to accept the competence of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to evaluate rights violation claims under the Covenant. Paris Principles: The Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions, provide international minimum standards on the status and roles of NHRIs. In 1991, the UN Commission on Human Rights held an international workshop of human rights institutions, UN member states and specialised agencies, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The purpose was to review the cooperation between national and international institutions, and to explore ways to increase their effectiveness. The resulting “Paris Principles” were subsequently endorsed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993. Parliamentary Committee: A group of members of Parliament selected to perform a special function or group of functions. For instance, a Parliamentary Committee may be brought together to conduct a clause-by-clause study of a bill and to propose amendments to it. Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS): A PRS is a “national cross-sectoral development framework, designed and implemented by national governments, specifically to tackle the causes and impact of poverty in a country” (according to “Human Rights, Health and Poverty Reduction Strategies” World Health Organization, 2005, 10). Poverty reduction is a gradual process and a PRS is a vehicle for achieving this long-term objective. Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs): PRSPs describe the macroeconomic, structural, and social policies and programs that a country will develop over the course of several years in order to promote growth and reduce poverty. They are “prepared by governments in low-income countries through a participatory process involving domestic stakeholders and external development partners, including the IMF and the World Bank” (according to http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/