E. R elationship with civil society Cooperation is both a requirement and a need As noted in chapters II and III, the Paris Principles specifically require NHRIs to cooperate with NGOs and to ensure pluralism. More pragmatically, the overall responsibilities of NHRIs in promoting and protecting human rights are extremely broad and cannot be attained without the active and ongoing engagement of other human rights actors. Cooperation is a requisite for success. Scarcity of resources is a reality for civil society generally and NGOs in particular. Cooperation and coordination are therefore needed to ensure that limited resources are used effectively, including by avoiding the duplication of effort. Civil society, in particular NGOs, operates at the grass-roots level and will therefore have local information that may not be so readily available to an NHRI. This information is necessary to allow the institution to develop effective initiatives to deal with current issues. It also enables the institution to take preventive action to deal with local issues that might emerge later as more serious human rights problems. National human rights institutions, too, can offer civil society a number of advantages, including: a greater expertise in certain fields; a broader perspective on human rights issues; and mechanisms through which such issues may be addressed more effectively. Civil society may be suspicious of a Government’s motives for setting up an NHRI. It may view the establishment of an institution as having more to do with a Government’s wish to deflect criticism than an honest desire to help secure human rights. An NHRI is, after all, a State-sponsored and State-funded organization and so it is understandable that civil society might be cynical, especially if it is not aware of the positive role an institution can play. For this reason it is important to involve civil society in the debate on the establishment of an NHRI as early as possible so that it has a stake in ensuring that the new institution satisfies the Paris Principles. A proposed or newly created NHRI may also be seen by civil society as a potential rival for donor funding. If fact, the roles of NHRIs and civil society are complementary but different, and the establishment of a strong human rights culture in any country will require both to operate and to do so effectively. Civil society must understand that NHRIs are a fact of life, and can play a leading role in promoting and protecting human rights. They can also, through cooperation and coordination, increase programming opportunities rather than diminish them. At the same time, to the extent that an NHRI receives donor funding, this should not be at the expense of civil society. Moreover, donor funding can promote the genuine cooperation and coordination between the two sectors that is necessary for human rights to flourish. Conclusion Throughout this publication the important roles and responsibilities of NHRIs have been examined. Institutions do not operate in isolation, however, and there are other bodies with major roles to play in securing human rights. The task of doing so, given its enormity, importance and difficulty, can best be achieved if all those involved in promoting and protecting human rights—in particular institutions, the courts, parliament and human rights NGOs—understand their unique areas of competence and coordinate and cooperate when this is practical and appropriate. Each of these bodies can contribute greatly to the human rights situation; each must be respected and supported; each must work constructively with the others. Ultimately, the successful implementation of human rights depends on this. 135