State/Institution/ Legal Aid Program Practices

Association/Group
American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division’s Pro bono portal. The ABA is making the portal available for free to all
Disaster Legal Services attorneys across the country in an effort to effectively deploy
Program and Paladin, a America’s lawyers to help individuals. Volunteer attorneys will be able
justice tech company to filter opportunities by practice area, communities to serve, type of
specializing in pro bono engagement and the ability to work remotely.
software
State hotline hosts and legal services organizations will be able to
post opportunities to the DLS program’s portal as they come in to
increase their volunteer pools. The portal will allow the ABA and
Paladin to gather important data around needs, volunteer interests
and, ultimately, pro bono connections to aid in better volunteer
matching.

Legal Aid Society of San Free Legal Answers

Diego County, California - easy to use legal questionnaire
- Use of electronic form that could be filled-out

Volunteers

They used Zoom to host virtual clinics and used breakout rooms to
facilitate private conversations with each litigant

Stanford Law School The Legal Design Lab Uses SMS technology to improve legal aid hotlines, and is exploring a
possible collaboration with search engines to improve how legal
information is shown when people look online for help

California, Alameda County Bar Disaster Legal Assistance Created several databases where individuals, attorneys and
Association Collaborative (DLAC) and advocates interested in continuing to share information, resources
Legal Access Alameda in and strategies could access a new COVID-19 Legal Response
collaboration with Pro listserv. The databases share weekly digests with curated resources,
Bono Net events and updates
Faculty of Law, Monash University, Legal Aid NSW (New Citizens Advice is an interesting case because its latest set of goals
New South Wales, Australia South Wales). now talks not of digital as a separate stream but specifically of the
service aiming to provide ‘a seamless customer journey that allows
people to move between online, phone and face to face support
without repeating themselves’.

Allows for the use of integrated chat facilities and assistance such as
chatbots. Citizens Advice success has been such that in March 2020,
at the beginning of the first Coronavirus lockdown, that its website
managed its “‘busiest week in history”, with more than 2.2 million
views.’

 Law students to contribute to service delivery for clients with a

wide range of legal needs
 The tech doesn’t have to be high-tech. Relatively low-tech
options like phone and Zoom are likely to be fine if they serve
the clients effectively and the safety and security of people
and information is prioritised.
 Partnering with a range of leading organizations. Build on
existing networks was a key to the program’s response to
COVID19.
 Developing clinics that harness various technologies will
continue to inform the other dimensions of the Monash clinical
program as we develop the ‘new normal’.

Ateneo Human Rights Center Free Online Legal Allowed users to submit questions to their Facebook page. Law
Manila, Philippines Assistance Program students and supervising lawyers would screen and prioritize
responses, taking into account sensitive issues and making outside
referrals, when necessary. The project has since helped hundreds of
people receive free legal assistance.

 Choosing accessible technology: Providing Legal Services

Remotely offers an extensive overview of various types of
technology available for remote work from videoconferencing
and SMS platforms to case management systems to cloud-
 based call centers while giving recommendations for best
practices on how to use such technology. Understanding the
uses of each type of platform is necessary, but the guide also
highlights limitations to consider, particularly in areas with low
internet connections. Some services have yet to upgrade their
technology to high accessibility and inclusivity standards that
ensure the most diverse audiences can easily use it, including,
but not limited to people with disabilities.

 Protecting client data and privacy online: Beyond using

videoconferencing for client meetings, there are several other
ways to provide critical legal information to communities
remotely, including hotlines, online know your rights
workshops, and virtual clinics offering legal advice on specific
areas of law. Yet, overarching all of these considerations are
ensuring that legal service providers uphold ethical
obligations, particularly when it comes to privacy and data
protection. The guide offers practical advice on using secure
communication channels and data encryption, among several
other tools to ensure confidentiality is protected.

 Managing access to courts: Lastly, the guide recognizes that

there are circumstances due to the pandemic that will be
outside the control of legal service providers, particularly
restrictions put in place to temporarily close or limit access to
courts or government agencies. This affects litigators, but also
those seeking government benefits or help on immigration
matters. The guide suggests best practices to manage these
potential hurdles, including staying informed all of court or
agency closures and monitoring new systems implemented for
electronic filing of submissions or other legal documents,
among others.

OECD Volunteers of Legal Co-ordinating a legal aid response from different community actors,
Service, 2020 such as pro bono volunteer teams in large law firms and in-house
 teams with high levels of technical expertise, NGOs, student legal
clinics and academics could provide an increased support that the
state alone may not be able to absorb.

UN Missions in Kosovo/Kosovo Free Legal Aid Centre Through a Kosovo-wide intensive television and social media
Law Institute awareness campaign on platforms including YouTube, Facebook, the
centre’s website and a toll-free phone number, the centre has
continued to inform people of their rights and how they can access
legal support during the lockdown

Law Works and various US JusticeConnect’s Answers They had digitalised not only their internal systems but their external
organisations user-facing ones.

 online intake and referral tool, our cloud-based case

management system, VOIP phone service and our Pro Bono
Portal matter distribution system are helping to support service
continuity with a remote workforce.
 New online legal clinic – Justice Connect The platform aims to
provide a space for people to ask discrete legal questions and
receive quick, confidential legal answers from our pro bono
network. We have used the same base code (Free Legal
Answers) that have used to set up a similar clinic, provided
generously by Baker Donelson.
 Released a new self-help resources hub for individuals, with
resources covering employment law issues, government
exercise of emergency powers, court closures and a range of
resources for tenants.’

Ireland/ International Organization Pexip video conferencing session from other video streaming services
for Migration including Skype, Zoom, Cisco and Teams, without the requirement
that all parties use either the same app or a managed integration tool
to connect

 A key solution proposed by IOM has been to ensure that all

necessary information is available in local languages, and that
 individuals are able to express their questions in their
language

 Translation into local languages would also be a good practice

to inform minorities of their legal rights and avenues to
execute them.

Italy Easy to use tools and off-the-shelf understandable briefs to make

regulations and legal advice reach the most vulnerable, such as the
development of legal apps or live chats to submit legal queries of low
complexity, could also provide help for a majority of cases

The Engine Room offers a more efficient means of providing legal

services to a wider range of people. Specifically, they argue,
technology offers the potential to expand legal advice providers
’geographic reach; allow people to help themselves more effectively;
and reduce costs related to hiring lawyers and specialist providers.

Legal information presented in a way that ordinary people can

understand, and through readily accessible channels, also has the
potential to level the playing field between legal professionals and
others — and thus reduce inequities in access to justice.

The Engine Room gives this list of more individualistic purposes in the
use of technology for legal empowerment ‘ –to help people diagnose
legal problems themselves; help people assess their entitlement to
benefits or legal assistance; provide people with legal information that
is easier to understand and access; give individuals legal information
that is customized to their specific need; support people through
processes such as representing themselves or resolving disputes;
generate legal documents; connect people to organizations that can
provide assistance.’

Engine Room identifies the following: ‘guided pathways to legal

information; guided pathways to specialised legal advisers; live chat
 features; document assembly; online dispute resolution; structured
data collection for use in legal cases; chatbots.

We might actually structure things slightly differently by reference to

function. Technology can bring improvements the provision of legal
information – to include:
 static and dynamic websites
 the processes of triage and referral by which someone may be
assisted
 interactive approaches to resolving users’ legal issues – to
include document assembly and assisted case management;
 blended forms of digital and individual assistance; and data
collection in the reporting and aggregating of users ’legal
issues

National Center for Medical-Legal Creation of medical-legal partnerships to address health related legal
Partnership needs i.e. Physical injuries ensuring access to health- related justice
may enable the system to detect, address and prevent health-harming
social conditions that have their roots in legal problems

Canada’s official statistical body Knowledge sharing platforms and websites, open call for inputs and
legal surveys will all be essential elements to respond effectively

OTHERS Co-ordinating a legal aid response from different community actors,

such as pro bono volunteer teams in large law firms and in-house
teams with high levels of technical expertise, NGOs, student legal
clinics and academics could provide an increased support that the
state alone may not be able to absorb.

The opportunity that children now spend more time online can also be
leveraged to create online resources adapted for them specifically on
their rights and options, using child-friendly language and visuals
 National Human Rights Practices
Institution in the ff States:
Belgium Reported that they were “part of several official taskforces but also heard by the Prime Minister
and directly influenced the attention, among others, to people with disabilities

Chairs the human rights platform which brings together sectoral bodies (Committee P, Mediators,
etc.) which has addressed various issues: access to justice and hearings by videoconference,
police attitudes in checks, etc.”

The NHRI of Belgium “worked closely with Myria126, responsible for monitoring the fundamental
rights of migrants (particularly in the case of separated families) and with the Poverty Reduction
Service for issues related to access to education, housing–chairs the human rights platform which
brings together sectoral bodies (Committee P, Mediators, etc.) which has addressed various
issues: access to justice and hearings by videoconference, police attitudes in checks, etc

Canada Provided funding for a civil society group to publish and broadly distribute COVID 19
communications toolkit on communication rights in healthcare.–We partnered with the Anti-Racism
secretariat to organize and co-host an anti-racism webinar”

Colombia Put in place special measures to provide support to doctors and other medical staff, including
COVID-19 frontline personnel. As a result, the NHRI created an e-mail account to allow health
professionals to submit confidential complaints of human rights violations encountered by them.

Denmark Argued for the value of placing human rights standards and the 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) at the core of immediate responses to COVID-19 and of long-term recovery
strategies.

Ecuador In cases of labor actions, we worked with the Public Defender's Office so that they provide support
in cases of people with disabilities who have been fired from their job

Ecuador embarked on three initiatives at the jurisdictional level: a precautionary measure for non-
violation of nationals in mandatory preventive quarantine, after their return a Protection Action to
defend the rights of nationals stranded abroad, and, a Lawsuit of Unconstitutionality regarding
 discriminatory treatment against the Venezuelan diaspora in the process of regularization with
exception visas for humanitarian reasons.110

El Salvador Reports have been sent to the Legislative Assembly on the situation of human rights violations in
the context of the pandemic, especially those related to women's rights and the right to health

Initial work of the [NHRI] was aimed primarily at monitoring the implementation of containment
measures, especially with regard to the situation of people in quarantine centers, due to constant
complaints about inadequate conditions, lack of food and serious deficiencies in basic services
due to the complexity of the emergency, others [areas of work] were added related to the
monitoring and verification of police checkpoints, the circumstances of the arrests of people for
alleged non-compliance with the home quarantine decreed by the Executive Branch, the situation
of people who are unemployed, laid off or in informal jobs facing a serious limitation of their income
and livelihoods, the conditions of public health personnel and people stranded abroad, etc.”

Monitoring by NHRIs includes both physical on-site monitoring, for example of institutional
facilities, and of “desk” monitoring of specific human rights aspects, such as legislative
developments. Of- ten, the latter is enabled through engagement with key stakeholders, and the
lock down has had the effect of impeding partnership development and growth for NHRIs with
stakeholders including representative civil society.

Submitted an amicus curiae brief regarding a petition for habeas corpus on the urgency to adopt
measures to tackle the effects of COVID-19 on women criminalized and deprived of their liberty for
having suffered obstetric emergencies, in the context of prison overcrowding with support from
OHCHR.

Developed and implemented a Monitoring Plan for checkpoints installed by the PNC (National Civil
Police) and FAES (Armed Forces), a measure carried out by means of the national verification of
51 police checkpoints”.

Fiji Establishing a web-based information management portal to allow Fijians in the most remote areas
of the country access to key human rights documents, information, and contact with NHRI case
officers. This will also allow for remote counselling and consultations concerning human rights
 complaints, and in the medium- to longer-term it will provide the NHRI with an online system to
track and monitor cases, identify trends, and strategically allocate resources with UNDP support.

Germany Video conferencing tools and remote work, try out new formats, something which we probably
would not have done otherwise anytime soon. For example, a conference on rule of law in the EU,
jointly hosted with the Polish Ombudsman, had to be moved online. Apart from technical capacity
building, the online format allowed us to bring together a greater number of top-level speakers than
a traditional conference in Berlin would have allowed us, as none of the speakers had to travel.
They could fit this conference into their schedule where they might otherwise have prioritized
differently. Similarly, the online format also allowed us to reach a much larger audience than at a
traditional conference.”

Maintained the need for human rights to be central to the government’s political response to
COVID-19 through relevant policy papers.108
Other forms of engagement have been more technical, where the NHRI has supported the
executive in addressing the rights of vulnerable groups, such as through the development of
instructional tools for the police and security forces.

Guinea Awareness-raising sessions on a human rights-based approach to prevention and response to

COVID-19 has included training of NHRI commissioners on the monitoring and reporting of vio-
lations linked to measures taken by the Government to tackle the pandemic.

Honduras Received a large number of complaints relating to violations of the right to health.120 In order to
ensure full accessibility in spite of the lockdown and its resulting subsequent inaccessibility by
members of the public to the NHRIs’ offices, or restrictions on the ability to con- duct on-site
monitoring as addressed above, some NHRIs used innovative approaches, including digitization to
ensure that populations could still utilize their services. A number of NHRIs creatively developed
new online and mobile accessible media and platforms.
In Honduras, “Telephone lines were provided so that people can file their complaints about human
rights violations”.

Ireland Called for data reflecting accurately the patterns of response by the policing authorities in relation
to how they operate and engage with the population under COVID-19
 Increased engagement with Parliament via Oireachtas Covid-19 Special Committee through
submissions and oral hearings

Extensive engagement with public bodies with inspection and regulation roles to understand real-
time COVID human rights and equality impacts: in particular relating to disability and older people”
In administration of justice, NHRIs reported expanding their work in relation to COVID-19 including
working to advise national stakeholders.

Kenya Employed online monitoring and documentation. They were also able to involve the public as
sources of information and tips on human rights violations.

Received complaints from the country-wide pool of Human Rights Defenders who had been
previously trained by the NHRI on human rights reporting and documentation. The complaints
were uploaded and processed through the Complaints Management System (CMS) which enables
easy data analysis and retrieval of real time information. The collaboration has included a
triangular interaction between the UN agencies, the NHRI and civil society.

Madagascar Liaised with human rights NGOs, journalist and Bar Association for human rights monitoring and
documentation

Malaysia SUHAKAM [the NHRI] has learned how to remain functional and relevant even during crisis and
emergency period. SUHAKAM [the NHRI] managed to conduct various programs, discussions,
and activities on human rights issues via online platforms and was therefore able to reach
participants from all over Malaysia simultaneously.”

Mali Engaged in joint advocacy with the International Commit- tee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the
United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA) in Mali, and the EU
to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to reduce the number of detainees within prisons to
limit the risks of spreading the virus, drawing upon a key lesson learned from Ebola response
supported jointly by UNDP and OHCHR through the TPP. Monitoring of places of detention was
increased to reduce overcrowding, resulting in 1300 people being released including 200 women.

Mauritania Encouraged the release of prisoners who are at the end of their sentence, detainees prosecuted
for minor offenses and those not representing a danger to public security and / or whose detention
is not justified.
Moldova Urged in applying alternatives to detention and advocating for the release of prisoners due to the
pandemic

Established a system of protection of whistle-blowers reporting on irregularities affecting the public

interest in the health sector with support from UNDP. Furthermore, NHRIs in India and South
Africa, have addressed the related but still distinct issue of fake news and disinformation, with the
NHRI of India calling for legislation to be adopted “to regulate the content and intention of leading
news channels in respect of misinformation creating a situation of panic and insecurity among
selective communities and regions of the country

Mongolia Ensured that complaints could be lodged through an online platform in the official website as well
as a Facebook page, in addition to a 24-hour hotline.122
Some public offices were characterized as essential services and, on this basis, remained open to
the public however in other contexts it was reported that human rights services were not
recognized as an essential service and not therefore allowed to reopen.

Nigeria Advisory to security agencies to respect human rights in the enforcement of COVID-19
Regulations

Norway Engaged in a consultation: “regarding measures to strengthen the efficiency of the judicial system,
with NIM recommending that steps are taken to ensure the use of remote audio/video technology
in litigation is consistent with the right to a fair trial NIM has made several recommendations
regarding the use of remote meetings to ensure county committees can continue to process cases,
proposals to extend application deadlines”

Pakistan Involved together with other stakeholders in enabling federal and provincial human rights
institutions to digitize complaint response mechanisms to receive, track and respond to COVID-19
related issues with UNDP support.

Palestine Published Justice and COVID-19: A Guide for Judges, Public Prosecutors and Lawyers in
Palestine, A Joint Guidance Note by UN Human Rights oPt, High Judicial Council, Attorney
General’s Office, Palestinian Bar Association, Ministry of Justice, and Independent Commission for
Human Rights
Portugal Established a focal point in the Prime Minister’s Cabinet ensuring a swift response to the main
complaints and problems identified following the declaration of the state of emergency

Scotland Commission has continued to work closely with other members of the National Preventative
Mechanism to monitor the situation of prisoners and others in detention

Demonstrated their increased visibility through an increase in communications outputs: “In terms of
outputs, during the 12 weeks from 30 March to 19 June 2020, the Commission published over 30
briefings, statements, letters and reports specifically in relation to COVID-19, compared to 8 such
outputs in the same period last year; and issued 15 press releases and provided follow-up
comment and interviews on 8 occasions, compared to 6 press releases and 2 interviews in the
same period last year.”
Illustrative examples shared from NHRIs demonstrated that this visibility has been used to
increase the spotlight on the human rights of, particularly on the most vulnerable and those most
affected in society.

The Commission has experienced improved lines of communication with government and
Ministers during this period, as well as with the Police. Demand for our commentary and analysis
has increased hugely from a range of sources, including Scottish Government Ministers,
opposition parties, [Members of the Scottish Parliament], Scottish Government officials, civil
society organizations, individual members of the public, and the media. Our proactive policy work
in relation to emergency measures has given a stronger platform to our wider strategic focus on
human rights budgeting, incorporation of international standards, particularly economic, social and
cultural rights and climate justice as part of the national narrative to “build back better”.

Sierra Leone Established a mobile outreach approach specifically targeting communities that would be likely
unable to access the NHRI

Engaged in human rights mobile outreach to hear and investigate complaints with UNDP support.
In the State of Palestine, the NHRI “encouraged right holders to submit their complaints in almost
all the themes especially from those in quarantine. [The NHRI] promoted their remote complaint
handling and distributed contact info to all quarantine centers.”
 Within the regular support to strengthening capacity of the NHRI, a Human Rights and COVID-19
response component has been mainstreamed to support a human rights-based approach to
COVID-19. This component comprised four key areas including: i) Public education and
awareness raising, ii), Human rights mobile outreach to hear and investigate complaints, iii)
Human rights mon- itoring, and iv) strategic engagement with state authorities.

Slovenia Human Rights Ombudsman promoted the harmonization of domestic law with international law
also during the COVID-19 crises, [and] especially referred ... to the need to respect the Convention
on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities regarding the treatment of individual within institutions,
deinstitutionalization, access to information and equal health treatment under the conditions of
COVID-19. We also referred to other core UN human rights treaties, as well as to the European
Court of Human Rights and EU fundamental rights.

Slovakia The organized online roundtables and meetings with representatives of non-governmental
organizations, especially on the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing, right to health and
right to education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Provided guidance to the relevant authorities on the specific issue of access to healthcare and
safe abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a few cases, the NHRI has taken judicial action with the domestic courts to address specific
areas of conflict in relation to COVID-19.
South Africa In overcoming the movement restrictions, used other human rights defenders (human rights CSOs
and journalists) in places they do not have a presence to monitor and receive complaints

Engaged with OHCHR and civil society organisations to monitor detention facilities as well as
monitoring of re-opening of schools, observation of proto- cols around COVID-19 as well as school
feeding programme, and distribution of learning materials to children who could not return to
school due to health concerns.

Advise government and success- fully so in the areas of access to basic education and worked
very effectively up to ministerial level. The Commission was also able to advise the Department
(Ministry) of Local Government and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA)-
which is the ministry charged with overseeing a state of national disaster. Channels for greater
cooperation were discussed with both departments (Education and COGTA). The SAHRC was
able to engage with COGTA on the issue of regulations that were put in place with a view to
 making them more human rights friendly and a number of measures were then attended to and the
Government showed a willingness to listen to SAHRC's advice and this resulted in a meeting with
many senior officials from the Department of COGTA”. Furthermore, the NHRI “Released media
statements in collaboration with Department of CoGTA confirming agreement to work together to
address issues related to Covid-19”.

Accessibility by vulnerable groups was affected as all our offices were not accessible to members
of public who wanted to come in person. This was more especially the case when a lockdown was
first announced and for the first month of the lockdown freedom of movement for all persons
except essential services was limited as a National State of Disaster was declared”.

Accessibility is about more than physical entry into premises. In the context of NHRIs this also
includes the ability of individuals to lodge complaints relating to specific incidents or patterns of
human rights violations. Seven NHRIs indicated that on the one hand they would continue to
receive and actively solicit complaints however, indicated that the lock-down has prevented them
from effectively addressing such complaints, especially when this has necessitated on-site
investigations or any form of collection of evidence.

Impact of outreach activities in relation to the general public has also been affected, for example in
terms of human rights education and other public engagement activities throughout the
community. The challenge of reaching the more vulnerable or disadvantaged members of the
public in this domain applies also.

Sudan Called on the competent authorities to avoid imprisoning the violators of the curfew with the
introduction of alternative penalties as much as possible, and called on the competent authorities
to support and improve the prison environment and provide protection, quarantine and treatment
aids in all health units inside prisons and other places of detention in all states of Sudan

Uganda Carried out sensitization / education to the general public on human rights issues amidst the
COVID-19 pandemic”. The NHRIs of both South Africa and Uganda have used WhatsApp as one
of the most accessible means of communication with their constituent communities.118
According to the survey, almost every NHRI has used their promotional mandate to publish
statements, and their message has been clear: restrictive action taken must be proportional and
non-discriminatory and must first and foremost ensure that the rights and needs of the most
vulnerable in society are catered for, not least under states of emergency and curfew.
 Some NHRIs have developed comprehensive reports cutting across a broad spectrum of rights
areas and calling for government and public attention to focus on strong cases, with both broad
and specific coverage by NHRIs documented through comprehensive reporting including the
NHRIs of Iraq, Kenya, El Salvador and New Zealand.

Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria and the Established a hotline for complaints, as well as facilitating legal assistance to individuals with
Russian Federation complaints of human rights violations with UNDP support

The Network of National Focused on generating spaces for exchange and dialogue which allowed the network to develop
Institutions for the Promotion and more than 10 virtual work meetings, which brought together Defenders and experts from more
Protection of Human Rights in the than 15 countries in each session
Americas (RINDHCA) in
collaboration with the
Iberoamerican Federation of
Ombudsman (FIO)

Network of African National Human Organized a general inaugural webinar focused on the emerging human rights issues the NHRIs
Rights Institutions (NANHRI) were grappling with. Out of the identified themes, subsequent meetings were on excessive use of
force, gender-based violence, protection of children on the move and ensuring access to justice
while in this vulnerable state and protecting the rights of the people on the move, more so
migrants.

The webinars, which brought together representatives of NHRIs, other national, regional and
international human rights actors as well as academia, helped in giving insight to the members on
tackling various challenges in promotion and protection of the rights of the people in the context of
Covid-19. They also served as peer learning platforms on best practices.

NANHRI deduced that NHRIs which had online complaints handling systems were more efficient in
their responses

Issued a statement calling on States, through NHRIs to decongest prisons and other detention
areas. More than 47, 000 detainees and prisoners were released across the continent.
 conducted a rapid needs assessment of African NHRIs The assessment points to the needs of
NHRIs for financial and logistical support to enable effective remote operations as well as the
technical and human resource capacity needed to address rising human rights concerns

The European Network of National Monitored members’ statements; organising extensive data collections (through the rule of law
Human Rights Institutions monitoring); developing general and thematic statements; holding special pandemic related
(ENNHRI) working group meetings; building one NHRI Europe database; and developing articles, sharing
information with regional stakeholders on NHRIs’ work.

In the web meetings, participants discussed a range of human rights issues covering asylum and
migration, economic and social rights, democracy and the rule of law, the rights of people with
disabilities the rights of older people, and human rights in (post-)conflict situations.
The meetings helped NHRIs to find solutions to address the impacts of COVID-19 on human
rights, including the disproportionate affects that restrictions on freedoms have on vulnerable
groups; address the challenges they face in fulfilling their mandate during the pandemic and its
associated public health measures; exchange with peers and seek solutions to how NHRIs can
adapt their work; and share tools and good practices that can support NHRIs’ work and propose
further collaboration with regional actors.

The Asia-Pacific Forum of National Investment in establishing on-line learning platforms to build the capacity and skills of NHRIs,
Human Rights Institutions (APF) translation of existing content into Arabic. The APF also launched a new ‘mobile-first’ learning
management system with AI translation to enable the APF to easily reach all of its members,
communities, and individuals. With this new technology the APF has the freedom to deploy in over
100 languages.

The APF shared good practices between NHRIs, which included the launching of a ‘leadership
outreach’ service to communicate with APF members to discuss their work during the pandemic.
Furthermore, the APF undertook and published research on how NHRIs were undertaking their
mandate during the pandemic on a range of issues. These have to date included human rights
defenders and gender.

Global Alliance of National Human Supporting more than 100 national human rights institutions from across all world regions, by
Rights Institutions (GANHRI) inviting NHRIs institutions to share information and resources, develop partnerships and identify
good practice standards. This is particularly important in light of the complex, challenging and
unprecedented nature of the situation.

GANHRI, including in partnership with the UN, its member institutions and CSOs, convened a
cycle of webinars on the role and experiences of NHRIs in addressing the human rights
dimensions of COVID-19. Discussions have focused on a variety of topics such as the role of
NHRIs in addressing the rights of persons with disabilities during COVID-19; the situation of
internally displaced persons; older persons; and the impact of COVID-19 on civic space and
human rights defenders. The webinars are bringing together NHRIs from all regions as well as
international experts, states and partners from UN and civil society.

GANHRI established a global community of practice, based on Fuse International, where NHRIs
from all regions share their experiences; discuss approaches; and seek for peer-advice and
support. GANHRI is facilitating the discussions and is sharing relevant updates with NHRIs from
the inter- national human rights system. As of now, more than 120 users from a variety of NHRIS
are actively engaging in the community of practice. In addition, GANHRI has established a global
database on the collection of information on members’ activities which is also serving to inform the
research. Finally, GANHRI has used its website to publish examples of NHRI interventions during
COVID-19.

Convened a knowledge exchange for NHRIs and partners, to share experience, discuss good
practice and identify NHRIs’ needs for support, based on this study.
As a global voice of NHRIs, GANHRI has been addressing international fora to speak to the
human rights dimensions of the pandemic. In a statement to the Human Rights Council, GANHRI
advocated for human rights to be placed at the center of states’ responses to the pandemic and
recovery efforts. GANHRI also called on the UN and states to protect human rights defenders and
ensure that channels for communicating with the UN remain open and effective including and in
particular during the pandemic.

GANHRI together with the TPP partners (UNDP and OHCHR) co-hosted a global event on the
roles and experiences of NHRIs in addressing the human rights dimensions, and on NHRIs’
challenges and needs for support.

Adoption of the biennial NHRI resolution at the 45th session of the Human Rights Council. This
was a significant achievement as the resolution affirms the vital contribution of NHRIs to uphold
 human rights during the global health emergency and states commit to cooperate with and support
their NHRIs, ensuring they are adequately resourced to undertake their work. The resolution was
adopted by consensus with a broad cross-regional co-sponsorship

Continues to receive and address cases of intimidation and reprisals against NHRIs as a result of
their mandated activities including those pandemic related. GANHRI continues to work closely with
NHRI regional networks and with partners at the UN and civil society to address such cases when
they occur.
United Nations Development Advocacy - Support NHRIs’ advocacy efforts for improved human rights considerations by the
Programme (UNDP) and Office of government (e.g. improved implementation of anti-dis- crimination legislation in the health sector,
the United Nations High prevention of discrimination. Strategic engagement with authorities)
Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) Legal aid - Support NHRIs in providing online legal aid and establishing legal aid hotlines.

Support NHRIs’ advocacy efforts to reduce the number of detainees in prisons to limit the risks of
spreading the virus, including recommendations on detention and detainees’ rights amid the
pandemic.

Support NHRIs in media and public awareness raising campaigns to ensure access to information
to all populations, to prevent the spread of misinformation, and combatting stigma and
discrimination, including translation and publication of information.

Support in developing digital platforms for NHRIs, including online trainings on monitoring closed
and semi-closed places of detention, online systems to track and monitor cases, remote
counselling and consultations concerning human rights complaints,

Capacity strengthening of NHRIs in and support to monitoring human rights violations, including
developing lessons learned and good practices (e.g. checklist to monitor human rights violations)
References:

The Global Fund. COVID-19 Guidance Note1 : Human Rights in the Times of COVID-19 Date issued: 14 April 2020
https://www.theglobalfund.org/media/9538/covid19_humanrights_guidancenote_en.pdf

United Nations Mission in Kosovo. Lawyers On Hand – At A Distance: Accessing Justice during a Pandemic.4 Jun 2020
https://unmik.unmissions.org/lawyers-hand-%E2%80%93-distance-accessing-justice-during-pandemic

International Legal Aid Group (ILAG) Conference | June 2021 Hosted remotely by Legal Aid NSW, Australia
https://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/44423/ILAG-Conference-Booklet-2-Conference-Papers.pdf

Law Society Gazette Ireland. ‘Huge demand’ for FLAC services in pandemic https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-stories/huge-demand-for-
flac-services-in-pandemic/

DuPage County Bar Association Illinois. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Legal Services https://www.dcba.org/mpage/v33-Raleigh-
D-Kalbfleisch

Open Society Justice Initiative. https://www.justiceinitiative.org/voices/a-new-guide-highlights-how-to-provide-effective-legal-services-remotely-

during-covid-1

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Access to justice and the COVID-19 pandemic: Compendium of Country
Practices. September 2020. https://www.oecd.org/governance/global-roundtables-access-to-justice/access-to-justice-compendium-of-country-
practices.pdf

American Bar Association. A Glance at the Virtual Operations of a Legal Aid Clinic during COVID-19
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/young_lawyers/publications/after-the-bar/public-service/glance-at-virtual-operations-of-legal-aid-clinic-
during-covid-19/

COVID-19 and National Human Rights Institutions. 2021. https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2021-06/UNDP-UNHCR-GANHRI-

COVID-19-and-National-Human-Rights-Institutions-EN.pdf
Human Rights Measurement Initiative.2020.COVID-19 and Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities
https://humanrightsmeasurement.org/covid-19-and-human-rights-challenges-and-opportunities/

Graduate Institute Geneva. 2020. Politics of the Coronavirus Pandemic | Reconfigurations of Politics: Voice, Rights and Expertise — Article 12
Human Rights and Covid-19 https://globalchallenges.ch/issue/special_1/human-rights-and-covid-19/