23 ✔✔ Encourage the State to undertake an open and transparent national nomination process, including through advertising the position and interviewing potential candidates. ✔✔ Identify qualified candidates and propose them to the ministry in charge of the nomination process. ✔✔ Encourage the ministry in charge of the nomination process to select candidates who meet the requirements identified in the treaty, such as high moral standing and knowledge and experience in the relevant field, and to pay due attention to gender balance in the nomination of candidates. ✔✔ Encourage the ministry in charge of the nomination process to select candidates on the basis of merit rather than political considerations. ✔✔ Establish national partnerships with civil society and intergovernmental organizations, such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), to work with the relevant ministry to choose well-qualified candidates. BOX 2 Nominating candidates in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland In the context of the first election for the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, in December 2006, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland decided to have a public and open nomination process. This was done by placing an advertisement in a leading daily newspaper as well as on the Government’s website with a description of the key requirements that the United Kingdom identified for the position of member of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, namely: Essential • Applicants must not be civil servants or hold posts within Government. • Knowledge and understanding of human rights or professional experience in areas covered by the Convention against Torture and its Optional Protocol. • Proven professional experience in the field of the administration of justice, in particular criminal law, prison or police administration, or in the various fields relevant to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty.