B. The role and interaction of civil society and national human rights institutions with the treaty body system Civil society is made up of organizations and individuals that voluntarily engage in public participation and action around shared interests, purposes or values that are compatible with the goals of the United Nations. A number of such civil society organizations concerned with the promotion and protection of universal human rights play an important role in providing the treaty bodies with reliable independent information about situations and developments in State parties, as well as in monitoring the implementation of treaty bodies’ recommendations. Civil society actors involved and interacting with treaty bodies may be: human rights defenders; human rights organizations (NGOs, associations, victim groups); coalitions and networks (women’s rights, children’s rights, environmental rights); community-based groups (indigenous peoples, minorities); unions (trade unions as well as professional associations such as journalist associations, bar associations, magistrate associations, student unions); social movements (peace movements, student movements, pro-democracy movements); relatives of victims; and academic institutions. National human rights institutions are institutions created by States to promote and protect human rights, and are an important part of any national human rights protection system. They act independently from government control. A set of international standards, known as the Paris Principles,15 has been agreed to guide their independence and integrity. Civil society as well as national human rights institutions contribute to the review of reports of State parties by submitting their own reports and briefing committees on the status of human rights protection in the State party whose report is under review. They contribute to the discussion of lists of issues, lists of issues prior to reporting, as well as to the constructive dialogue with the State party concerned, and to the adoption of recommendations. Their submissions enable committees to put the human rights situation in the State party in context. These organizations also follow up the national implementation of the recommendations of treaty bodies and can report on its success or failure. Their contributions to days of general discussions and general comments are also relevant. More information on the role of NGOs in the work of specific committees can be found in Working with the United Nations Human Rights Programme: A Handbook for Civil Society. Additional information on the interaction between NHRIs and treaty bodies is also available in National 15 General Assembly resolution 48/134. 43