8.6 Functional Areas of Capacity

Managing human rights cases requires the capacity to develop, institutionalise and implement mechanisms that will assist the NHRI in receiving, processing, investigating and tracking human rights complaints and investigations. Whether the NHRI has the capacity to receive individual complaints (as is the case for quasi-jurisdictional institutions) or to investigate human rights matters more generally, the objective is to establish clear, consistent and effective investigation mechanisms and to provide recommendations.11 The following general areas of capacity should be targeted:

• Protection (investigations, complaints handling, alternative dispute resolution, monitoring, precautionary measures and public inquiries);
• Promotion (communications, public education, campaigns, publications and reports);
• Stakeholder engagement;
• Advice to government and Parliament; and
• Support to the international human rights system.

11 See "Asia Pacific Regional Initiative".