The Reporting Procedure 4 is to a certain degree also required of personnel at focal points in all implementing ministries and institutions). Preparing the report, the constructive dialogue with the Treaty Body and the follow-up to the concluding observations requires that the State has the capacity to coordinate with relevant Ministries, the national statistics office, parliament and the judiciary but also to consult with NHRI and civil society. All Government work is best underpinned by a capacity to manage all information relating to treaty reporting. Therefore State parties should take the opportunity of further developing these capacities, notwithstanding the type of mechanism for reporting and follow-up functioning in the country, with the aim of establishing or strengthening their NMRF. It is suggested that this chapter be read in conjunction with OHCHR National Mechanisms for Reporting and Follow-up: a Practical Guide to Effective State Engagement with International Human Rights Mechanisms, available at the OHCHR website as follows: www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/HR_PUB_16_1_NMRF_ PracticalGuide.pdf. 4.2.1. Preparation and submission of the report State parties are encouraged to make use of the process of preparing a report as an opportunity for conducting a self-assessment of the state of human rights protection under their jurisdiction and for stimulating national dialogue (see Chapter 3, The Benefits of Reporting). In order to meaningfully fulfil their legal reporting obligation, State parties should make the process of preparing a report as efficient and effective as possible. To help achieve this objective, a table is provided below which lists seven practical steps (further detailed in this chapter), the aim of which is to suggest a methodology to facilitate the work of State parties in preparing their reports. The table also indicates how this first stage of the reporting cycle relates to the key capacities of NMRF. Steps in preparing a State party report Related NMRF key capacity i. Planning and organizing Engagement and coordination capacities ii. Identifying key issues Engagement and coordination capacities iii. Gathering information and collecting data Coordination and information management capacities iv. Analysing data and drafting the report Engagement and coordination and Information management capacities v. Coordinating with and consulting relevant stakeholders Coordination and consultation capacities vi. Finalizing and endorsing the report Coordination capacity vii. Submission of the report Engagement capacity i. Planning and Organizing State parties should keep a compilation of the instruments the country has ratified or acceded to (or plans to in the near future), including information on reporting cycles, the dates when individual reports are due, and the dates when the reports have been submitted in the past. State parties should regularly review which reports are to be prepared and develop a workplan, which can span several years, for drafting them with set deadlines and broadly assigned responsibilities. Any such inventory and workplan should include other instruments that require periodic reporting, such as UPR reporting or reporting under the ILO conventions and regional human rights instruments. 41