List of themes A list of themes or topics for which no responses are required, intended to guide and focus the dialogue between a State party’s delegation and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination during the consideration of the State party’s report. National human rights institutions Many countries have created national human rights institutions (NHRIs) to promote and protect human rights. Such institutions are increasingly recognized as an important part of any national human rights protection system, provided their independence from government control can be assured. A set of international standards, known as the Paris Principles, has been agreed by which to gauge the independence and integrity of NHRIs. For more information on NHRIs, see National Human Rights Institutions: History, Principles, Roles and Responsibilities, Professional Training Series No. 4/Rev.1 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.09.XIV.4). Non-governmental organizations Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may be involved in promoting human rights, either generally or with a focus on a specific issue. A framework exists for the participation of NGOs in many United Nations human rights mechanisms, such as the granting of consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, which allows them to participate in the Human Rights Council. Both international and national NGOs follow the work of the treaty bodies closely and most treaty bodies provide them with an opportunity to contribute to the reporting process through the submission, for example, of additional information relating to the implementation of the treaties in a particular country (sometimes referred to as “alternative” or “parallel” reports). There are differences in the way the treaty bodies treat this information. International and national NGOs also have an important role in following up the implementation of the treaty bodies’ recommendations contained in their concluding observations at the national level and in fostering national public debate on human rights implementation when the report is drafted and afterwards. NGOs have also made an important contribution to promoting the ratification of the human rights treaties worldwide. Non-reporting Despite having freely assumed the legal obligations attached to the human rights treaties that they have ratified, some States fail to submit their reports 52