have this information to hand before being deployed to the field to conduct interviews with potential victims. dissemination of information on the mandate of an investigative body, including explanation of the scope of the investigations, would also contribute to clarifying from the outset the type of gender considerations that the investigation will include. The methodology should be adapted to the circumstances of the investigation and include strategies on how to overcome possible challenges in the information-gathering phase.28 The team might, for example, consider whether it is advisable to directly approach victims, witnesses or sources, whether female or male, or whether they might suffer reprisals or stigmatization within their community as a result of their interaction with the investigators. Possible solutions should be explored, such as contacting trusted local organizations, including organizations working with women or on women’s rights or gender issues, which would be willing to assist in facilitating access to victims, witnesses and sources. C UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT AND DEVELOPING AN INVESTIGATION PLAN As set out in the OHCHR Manual on Human Rights Monitoring, in order to establish an appropriately sensitive methodology, investigation teams will need to have a functioning understanding of how legal, civil, economic, political, cultural and social issues have impacts on various populations in the country, region or situation where the alleged human rights violations have occurred.29 Attention should be paid to the pre-existing human rights landscape of marginalized people in the society, including women and girls and those marginalized on the basis of sexual orientation, religious, ethnic, racial and gender identities, class, national origin, disability and other status, such as refugees or IDPs, as well as human rights defenders and journalists. Investigation teams should bear in mind that identities can and often do intersect, with the consequence that some individuals and populations are particularly and differentially targeted for violence. A gender analysis is also critical in selecting the persons to be interviewed, including victims, witnesses and other sources such as service providers, government representatives and representatives of civil society organizations; the selection of interviewees should include, as far as possible, equal representation by sex and gender. The media and outreach strategy developed at the outset of the investigation should integrate gender into its content and presentation. This can be achieved by, for example, ensuring that female and male members of the investigation teams, including Commissioners or Experts, are equally visible and active in their interaction with media and also in high-level talks, that gender-related findings are integrated into the presentations among the core priorities and findings and that not only the female Commissioner(s)/Expert(s) or staff address questions related to gender issues. Public An effective gender-sensitive methodology and investigation plan will take into account the need to assess how – in the country or situation concerned – legal, civil, economic, political, cultural and social issues affect women and men differently, resulting in different experiences. As discussed in more detail in section III of this publication, gender-based discrimination and See, for example, A/HRC/32/CRP.1, paras 19-30. See also below, section II C, Overcoming challenges during information-gathering. 28 OHCHR (2011), Chapter 7, “Gathering Contextual Information”. 29 19