National Mechanisms for Reporting and Follow-up 2 SESSION PREPARATIONS ¡¡ This session builds up from step 1 (interactive presentation) of Session 2.1 (overview of the governmental structures for engagement with human rights mechanisms: NMRF), which needs to be done prior to this session. It has been designed to provide a space for participants to discuss each of the key capacities of a NMRF and reflect on how these capacities are currently addressed within existing structures for reporting and follow-up; how they could be addressed in the future; and what structure or tools could be established, developed or improved in this regard. ¡¡ In advance of the session: üü Identify four participants, ideally from different ministries (or countries if the training is regional or sub-regional) and invite them to participate as rapporteurs at the session’s discussion tables. üü Meet with the rapporteurs beforehand (at least the previous afternoon) and: • explain to them the group activity, including the session sequence; • give them copies of OHCHR, National Mechanisms for Reporting and Follow-up: A Practical Guide to Effective State Engagement with International Human Rights Mechanisms and of the guidance questions for the discussion (see hand-out at the end of this note); • explain what is expected from them: –– facilitate discussion on one of the capacities of a NMRF; –– take notes and debrief the different groups coming to their tables; and –– debrief the plenary on the main points discussed. üü Prepare PPT slides with the NMRF checklist capacities provided in the OHCHR Practical Guide (mentioned above). üü Prepare copies of the guidance questions for the discussion (in a hand-out) for all participants. SESSION SEQUENCE Step 1: Group activity: discussion on the capacities of a NMRF  Duration 5 minutes Instructions (5 minutes) a) Divide the participants into four groups and assign a working table to each group. Place on each working table one of the flipcharts you have previously prepared, so that each group has a different topic to discuss, i.e. 1) engagement capacity; 2) coordination capacity; 3) consultation capacity; and 4) information management capacity. b) Explain to participants that all participants, except for the assigned rapporteurs (pre-selected by you), will discuss all four capacities of a NMRF as they will be rotating between all four discussion tables. Indicate that on arrival at a new working table the groups should be briefed by the relevant rapporteur on the main points of what has previously been discussed. Every group should then add new information to what has already been discussed. c) Stress that the role of the rapporteurs also includes an overall debriefing to the plenary on the key points discussed at his or her table. d) Tell participants that in general they should discuss, for each capacity: üü How it is currently addressed within existing structures of reporting and follow-up; how it could be addressed in future; and what structure or tools could be established, developed or improved in that regard. 25