− Non-discrimination: • Level of participation, organisation and representation of defenders belonging to or working on the rights of groups discriminated against (minorities, LGBT persons, disabled persons, indigenous peoples, migrants, etc.); • Prominence of equality on the agenda of defenders; • Patterns of human rights violations against defenders belonging to or working on the rights of groups discriminated against; − Networks and coordination: • Level of solidarity and coordination among defenders; • Existence and effectiveness of common goals and strategies agreed upon by defenders; • Networks on thematic areas, at different levels (grass-root towards international and vice versa), across sectors of civil society (academia, social movements, NGOs, trade unions, bar associations, etc.); − Capacity to access and use national, regional and international human rights mechanisms; − Transparency, objectivity and accuracy in the work of human rights defenders; − Funding: • Availability of funding opportunities, within and outside the country; • Capacity to obtain funding; • Possibility of determining their own priorities versus being donor-driven; • Tax exemption for non-profit organisations. To assess levels of security of defenders − Number and type of attacks and threats against defenders; − Availability and effectiveness of protection programmes and measures. To assess levels of impunity of human rights violations against defenders − Number and type of human rights violations against defenders; − Accessibility of remedies available to defenders; − Number, quality (prompt and impartial) and outcome of investigations and prosecutions sanctioning violations against human rights defenders and providing compensation to victims; − Existence, accessibility and effectiveness of independent oversight mechanisms for violations committed by public authorities, including the police. Governments’ collaboration with regional and international human rights mechanisms − Collaboration with the Special Representative: • Responsiveness to questionnaires sent by the Special Representative for the preparation of reports; • Responsiveness to communications (timelines, comprehensiveness in replying to all the questions, scope of measures taken to address and redress both the individual cases as well as the general situation related to the individual cases); • Responding positively to requests of invitations to carry out country visits; • Reporting on measures taken to implement recommendations. 87