▪ Have an open organisational culture ▪ Ensure the integrity and quality of their members ▪ Have diverse membership and staff ▪ Consult with civil society ▪ Have a broad mandate ▪ Have an all-encompassing jurisdiction ▪ Have power to monitor compliance with their recommendations ▪ Treat human rights issues systemically ▪ Have adequate budgetary resources ▪ Develop effective international links The public and partner organisations should be confident that NHRIs will be ­welcoming and will take them seriously. Organisations that are open, ­collaborative and self-critical are far more likely to respond well to the needs of the public and other organisations and to identify shortcomings in their practice. The quality of members, leadership and staff vitally influences NHRIs’ effectiveness. Good appointment procedures are likely to result in independent, professional and courageous members. Members and staff should not be closely connected to the public service. To be open and accessible, NHRIs need to ensure that members and staff are representative of a society’s social, ethnic and linguistic composition. Good gender balance is vital. At the same time, selection should always be on merit. Civil society organisations, in particular human rights NGOs and communitybased groups, can be effective links between national institutions and ­individuals or groups who are politically, socially or economically marginalised. The most effective national institutions generally have a broad and non-­restrictive mandate, which includes civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Programmes should focus on issues of immediate daily concern and be relevant to the public and to public bodies. The credibility of NHRIs is seriously undermined when certain authorities with potentially great impact on human rights (such as military or special security forces) are excluded from their jurisdiction. National institutions should have power to monitor the extent to which relevant authorities follow their advice and recommendations. Monitoring should become a consistent practice. National institutions should identify and respond to issues that are of general concern. Investigations, public inquiries and policy reports are all useful ways of doing so. NHRIs are often ineffective because they lack resources. Control over their ­funding should be independent of the government of the day. Governments and legislatures should ensure that NHRIs receive adequate funds to perform all the functions set out in their mandates. NHRIs can become a key meeting point where national human rights ­enforcement systems link with international and regional human rights bodies. In addition, NHRIs mandated to consider individual complaints are effective when they:  Assessing the Effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions