UNDP-OHCHR TOOLKIT issues in depth and have been held into a wide range of human rights issues. Examples of issues examined are: 11 planning 11 Starvation Source: Asia Pacific Forum: “Going Public: New Training Resource On National Inquiries” Accessed 06 August 2009. deaths and the right to health (India); 11 Mental illness and homeless children (Australia); 11 Torture (Mongolia); and 11 Accessible public transport (New Zealand). If a UNCT is called on to support or advise on the holding of such a public inquiry, the following issues should be considered: 11 Whether the NHRI’s enabling legislation authorises the activity, either implicitly or explicitly; 11 That there is a clear and transparent objective and outcome: the NHRI will typically state that there will be recommendations, or that State activities will be monitored in a defined area, etc. 11 Public inquiries can be costly and complex. They require careful planning and adequate resources. Anticipated gains must therefore be commensurate with expected efforts and costs; and 11 Experience shows that public inquiries should be the result of strategic decision-making and require carefully planned media and communication strategies. NHRIs should be made aware of existing recent resources: for example, in 2007, the Asia Pacific Forum hosted NHRIs to pool experiences and expertise on running national public inquiries as part of a pilot training programme.3 Public inquires were identified as effective tools for addressing systemic discrimination and violations of human rights, and the meeting provided practical ‘how to’ strategies on: 11 setting up a public inquiry, including choosing the inquiry subject, establishing terms of reference, developing an appropriate methodology, identifying stakeholders and undertaking sufficient planning and preparation; 11 resourcing a national inquiry, including the involvement of commissioners; and staff, financial resources and community resources; 11 educating and informing the community, including strategies for working with the media; and follow-up activities and advocating for the implementation of the inquiry recommendations. 3.2 Promotion Human rights promotion aims at creating a national culture in which tolerance, equality, mutual respect and human rights thrive. The Paris Principles provide that all NHRIs should promote human rights. They refer directly to the obligation to: 11 assist in the formulation and delivery of education initiatives; 11 publicise human rights; and 11 increase public awareness, including through the media. NHRIs contribute by informing people of their human rights (no one can assert and defend their rights if they do not know what those rights are). But this is only half the equation: NHRIs also encourage State institutions and the public at large to understand rights and support their enforcement. NHRIs work with a variety of different stakeholders but do not represent a special interest group: they thus are ideally suited to provide a balanced message on the rights people enjoy as well as relevant commitments undertaken by States. Further information on promotional activities is set out below, and assistance can be provided by the OHCHR’s National Institutions and Regional Mechanisms Section and regional coordinating bodies of NHRIs such as the APF in the Asia Pacific region. 3.2.1 Public Education The range and scope of promotional activities possible are limited only by the capacity of the institution to be creative, and that of its staff, as well as available resources. Generally, however, most NHRIs will undertake the following activities: 11 public education and awareness sessions, seminars and workshops to promote human rights (these may be general or targeted to a specific group); as well as A DVD Going Public: Strategies for an Effective National Inquiry was prepared in 2007. Over 2007-8, The APF worked with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) to present a series of sub-regional training workshops for APF member institutions on running effective national inquiries in Indonesia and India. See www.asiapacificforum.net 3 34