The APF has launched a comprehensive guide to human rights community-led development (HRCLD) for National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs).

Building Human Rights Communities: A Guide for National Human Rights Institutions in the Asia Pacific Region is designed to assist NHRIs in developing self-reliant and respectful communities capable of identifying, documenting, and monitoring human rights violations. It provides guidance on creating sustainable strategies using local knowledge and evaluating their effectiveness.

The resource supports NHRIs in fulfilling their mandate under the Paris Principles, which include educating the public about human rights, promoting values that uphold these rights, and encouraging actions to protect individuals from violations.

By using a HRCLD approach, NHRIs can help communities recognise and address human rights issues by establishing frameworks and mechanisms that support them to confront these challenges effectively.

The guide offers practical, step-by-step suggestions for facilitating this approach, including tools, resources, and case studies from the Pacific, the Philippines and Aotearoa New Zealand. It is complemented by an online program available on the APF’s learning platform, the APF Community.

This initiative underscores the APF’s commitment to advancing human rights by supporting NHRIs and communities and highlights the crucial role of collaboration, innovation and local participation in the ongoing effort to uphold human rights across the region.