A/HRC/22/47 (f) Effective protection measures or programmes should be in place to guarantee the security of members and staff of national institutions. Both staff and members should enjoy immunity while discharging their official functions in good faith; (g) National institutions should be given the highest profile possible, beyond merely consultative or advisory bodies, and all branches of the State should be mandated to cooperate with them and implement their recommendations; (h) There should not be any limitations to the jurisdiction of national institutions and they should be able to investigate all allegations of violations by all branches of the State and all types of actors, including armed forces and private businesses; (i) National human rights institutions should be provided with adequate resources, financial, material and human, as well as with the necessary autonomy to propose and manage their own budgets and recruit their own staff; (j) National human rights institutions should be entrusted with adequate powers of investigation, including authorization to visit detention centres, to allow them to conduct prompt and impartial investigations into all allegations of violations and provide remedy to victims; 120. To national human rights institutions: (a) Should widely disseminate the Declaration on human rights defenders at the national level, including by making it available and by translating it into local languages; (b) Should make every effort to sensitize Government officials and other branches of the State about the provisions of the Declaration on human rights defenders to raise awareness of the important role played by human rights defenders in society and the protection they are entitled to under international law, including strengthening their capacity to deal effectively with defenders; (c) Should raise awareness among their own members and staff about the Declaration on human rights defenders and about their role as defenders, including the risks associated to this role as well as basic self-protection measures; (d) Any instance of intimidation, stigmatization, harassment or attack against members or staff of the institution should be immediately reported, documented and processed, including by taking the necessary protection measures at the institutional level; (e) Should coordinate actions with other existing national institutions whose mandates are related to human rights, including thematic commissions or institutions at the constituent unit level in federal States, in order to create synergies and avoid unnecessary duplication; (f) Should interact with defenders and civil society in a regular manner and include them in the planning and implementation of their activities; (g) Should establish a focal point or an entity dedicated to human rights defenders with specific attention to groups of defenders at particular risk such as women defenders and those working for women’s rights and gender issues; those working on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities; defenders working on environmental and land issues; journalists; and lawyers. This entity must be adequately resourced in order to respond promptly to reported violations and to offer necessary protection; 21

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