D. O ther national human rights institutions and regional networks One of the reasons why NHRIs, supported throughout by the United Nations, have developed national, regional and subregional associations was to facilitate inter-institutional dialogue and promote the sharing of best practices. Newly created institutions should be encouraged and supported in developing and maintaining contacts with these networks. Regular dialogue with other institutions will help a new institution understand that the problems it faces are common to many other institutions. More importantly, this dialogue is an opportunity to learn from others. Some of the methods that have been used to encourage and facilitate this exchange, beyond regular meetings, are: ■■ Promoting staff exchanges so that institutions can benefit from the experience of others with regard to their approaches to particular issues; ■■ Promoting study tours from one institution to another where one has a recognized expertise in an area that the other wishes to develop; ■■ Promoting the sending of experts from one institution to another to help the second institution develop its own expertise; ■■ Organizing seminars and workshops with two or more institutions to examine a particular problem or issue in order to compare and draw lessons from how each approaches the issue; ■■ Encouraging the development of formal and informal relationships between institutions to allow regular contact between them, including at the staff level; ■■ Organizing national, subregional or regional training in a human rights area of common concern; and ■■ Encouraging easy and cost-effective ways of sharing information on how a given institution has dealt with a particular issue. Encouraging participation in international and regional networks also serves to validate the newly created institution. Acceptance and accreditation by the networks will confirm that the institution operates in conformity with the Paris Principles and lend it the credibility it will need to carry out the tasks required of it. Withholding an accreditation, of course, has the opposite effect, hence the need to ensure from the outset that an institution does meet the requirements imposed by the Paris Principles. 134