A government was working with the UN to establish a NHRI.

A steering committee was established, working with the UN, and together they decided to organize a national conference on a proposed draft NHRI law. The objective was to seek the input of NGOs and academics. There was already a good deal of scepticism among civil society about the government’s “true intentions” and good faith in this process – scepticism that was reinforced when the invitations to the meeting, along with a copy of the draft law, appeared only two days before the scheduled event.

Only a few NGOs appeared, as they had no confidence on the process and no time to prepare properly.

• When meetings are convened, the active participation of all stakeholders should be welcomed and encouraged so that events are not dominated by ‘official’ spokespersons
• The media should be invited.
• A consultation report could be drafted and widely shared after the event, summarizing the input in an objective manner and setting out next steps.

These steps will not only assist in ensuring the credibility of the process among stakeholders, but will also help prevent the State from unilaterally weakening the institution at a later date. This is because the stakeholder community would not allow this to happen without some form of opposition if the NHRI is viewed in a positive light.