3. Public accountability A. Reporting annually on all aspects of their work Most NHRIs are legally required to report regularly on their work, usually ­annually. The line of accountability should extend not only to the state body to which the national institution reports directly (such as a parliamentary ­committee), but to the public as a whole. Making reports widely available in different formats – Annual reports are an essential element of accountability. However, they need to be presented in the main national language(s) and in different formats if they are to be accessible to a wide public. Short summaries, media releases and public presentations should all be considered. Ensuring that reports cover all significant issues – The public and other stakeholders should be able to know (and evaluate) the content of the national ­institution’s work across the range of its activities, including complaints received and investigated, monitoring, and advice given to government. This means that reporting should be detailed and substantive, not merely formal. Desire for ­confidentiality on the part of alleged victims needs to be respected. In general, however, a full record of the institution’s work should be publicly available. Reports of national institutions should be fully scrutinised – Parliament (or the body to which a national institution reports) has a duty to consider NHRI reports thoroughly. Scrutiny strengthens the impact of an institution’s work and makes sure that it is properly accountable in relation to its mandate. Records of an NHRI’s external reporting should be publicly available. Reporting on budgets – NHRIs should report on their sources of income as well as their expenditure. They should provide information about their administrative and operating costs as well as the costs of their programmes and activities. Authority to make public their advice to government – NHRIs should be l­egally empowered to publicise their findings, advice and recommendations to the government, and should do so. Transparency increases government’s ­accountability as well as the NHRI’s credibility and public legitimacy. B. Regular consultations with all stakeholders Accountability cannot be a one-way and once-a-year process. NHRIs should consult with civil society and other relevant bodies at all stages of planning and executing their programmes. Strategic plans should be discussed with all stakeholders and should be made publicly available so that an NHRI’s ­objectives and strategies are well known not only to organisations that cooperate with it but also to the institution’s staff. Publish memoranda of understanding with stakeholders – Public ­memoranda of understanding can make NHRI relations with other bodies transparent. ­Agreements may be negotiated with statutory bodies, such as the police, and non-statutory ones, such as NGOs. Assessing the Effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions 23