8 Gender and Security Toolkit ƒ It has regular inter-committee co-ordination with other committees relevant to the security sector, such as those on defence, home affairs, budget issues, human rights and foreign affairs. ƒ It is chaired by a senior member of parliament with a background in defence and security policy; it is good practice to have a chairperson from an opposition party. ƒ It has the power to organize hearings on any topic it deems necessary. ƒ It has the power to demand that ministers and civilian and military experts testify at hearings. ƒ It effectively uses experts from academia and civil society organizations and from outside the government. ƒ It has its own meeting rooms, staff, budget and documentation.8 Parliamentary committees are discussed further in section 5.2. Ê Parliamentary ombuds institutions and NHRIs are common mechanisms for exercising certain aspects of a parliament’s oversight function. NHRIs are independent bodies established by a constitutional or legislative act, funded by the state and specifically mandated to protect and promote human rights (also known as human rights commissions or equal opportunities commissions). All NHRIs, by virtue of their human rights remit, are mandated to protect and promote women’s rights and gender equality. Many countries have a specialized NHRI to address discrimination, equality and/or women’s rights, such as an equal opportunities commission or sex discrimination commissioner. Ombuds institutions are official bodies headed by an ombudsperson (who may have another title, such as “public defender” or “protector of citizens”). The term “ombuds institution” includes a wide range of organizations with diverse mandates, powers and functions, regulated by national legislation. The ombudsperson is usually appointed by the government or parliament, but has a significant degree of independence. Ombuds institutions are charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or the violation of rights. In some countries (such as Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia, Spain and Sweden) the national ombudsperson has general competence to receive individual complaints, including those against the security sector.9 In a number of countries ombuds institutions have been established to oversee security sector institutions, including police and armed forces, such as the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces in Germany. Such institutions typically review and comment on draft laws from the perspective of protecting human rights; monitor the implementation of laws and oversee practices of state bodies, including security sector institutions; handle individual complaints against state bodies; and monitor detention conditions and facilities, especially in countries where ombudsperson institutions are the designated National Preventive Mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Parliamentary co-operation with ombudsman institutions and NHRIs is discussed further in section 5.4. Ê Parliamentary staff play a central role in making parliaments function. Staff members represent a repository of expertise that individual parliamentarians and political parties draw on. Professional staff who have access to adequate training and resources on good security governance and/or who have accumulated significant experience supporting parliamentary processes aimed at improving security governance form a unique reservoir of knowledge, skills and institutional memory for MPs to tap into. They can ensure continuity in discussions about complex security issues and provide a historical context. Thus staff are a crucial element in empowering MPs and committees to provide effective oversight of the security sector.