6.4
Encourage legislatures to establish human rights committees; where
appropriate, approach the Inter-Parliamentary Union to encourage the national
parliament to give greater emphasis to human rights;
6.5
Work jointly in order to bring the protection and promotion of human rights
into political party platforms;
7
Legislation
7.1
Systematically review existing legislation and other instruments having the
force of law to ensure consistency with human rights law, including relevant
international humanitarian law standards, in a holistic way, to ensure compliance with
the principle of indivisibility of human rights with a view to recommending
appropriate changes to ensure consistency with those standards;
7.2
Develop mechanisms for public consultation and discussion on proposed
legislation and other instruments having the force of law to ensure consistency with
human rights and related standards with a view to recommending appropriate changes
to ensure consistency with those standards;
7.3
Cooperate in encouraging governments to develop mechanisms whereby
government departments seek NGO and national human rights institution inputs into
new legislation, review of legislation and human rights treaty negotiations;
7.4
Establish mechanisms whereby national institutions seek NGO input into
national institution recommendations to government about legislation;
7.5
Cooperate in promoting the development of domestic legislation in accordance
with international human rights norms;
7.6
Coordinate effort for the ratification and implementation of international
human rights instruments and the removal of declarations, derogations and
reservations to such instruments;
7.7
Encourage where appropriate the establishment of forums with a broadly
based membership that could specialise in the review of the human rights aspects of
legislation;
8
Establishment of new national institutions
8.1
Recommended that the Asia Pacific Forum, in consultation with NGOs,
should adopt by its Annual Meeting in 2000, minimum standards for mechanisms and
processes for the establishment of new national human rights institutions in the region
in conformity with the Paris Principles. These guidelines should pay particular regard
to the need for new institutions to have independence built into their mandates, for
processes and mechanisms to be developed in partnership with NGOs, for public
hearings and for public review of proposed national human rights institution