A/HRC/38/25 and in the appointment of their members, a process that is a significant attribute of independence. 23. The Paris Principles, clearly elaborate upon the link between national human rights institutions and parliaments. In the Principles, it is stated that a national human rights institution should have the responsibility, inter alia: to submit to parliament opinions, recommendations, proposals and reports on any matters concerning the promotion and protection of human rights; to promote and ensure the harmonization of national legislation, regulations and practices with the international human rights instruments to which the State is a party, and their effective implementation; and to encourage ratification of the abovementioned instruments or accession to those instruments, and to ensure their implementation. 24. Parliaments should regularly interact with national human rights institutions, taking into account the Belgrade Principles, for example, by receiving reports on national human rights issues, developments and activities. Those can then be discussed in parliament, together with the recommendations of the national human rights institution, and can inform the legislative processes. Those interactions may also relate to the contents of draft bills or policies and their conformity with national and international human rights standards. As a part of the Belgrade Principles, national human rights institutions are also called on to develop a strong working relationship with the relevant specialized parliamentary committee, including, if possible and appropriate, through a memorandum of understanding. With regard to strengthening the links between parliaments and national human rights institutions, OHCHR will continue to build on its strategic tripartite partnership with the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and the United Nations Development Programme, in order to ensure that support is provided to parliaments with respect to any elements referred to in the present report. 25. When approving national budgets, parliaments need to bear in mind the human rights implications of their allocation of funds to institutions and activities. They should ensure that rights-based approaches are taken into account in the national budget, and that the national human rights infrastructure, including national human rights institutions, receives sufficient budgetary support. 26. A fundamental element of a vibrant democratic society is the relationship between parliament and civil society, whose work can help to strengthen parliament’s oversight role. It is important that parliaments act as guardians of civil society participation, and put in place effective legislation to allow civil society to carry out its work. Parliamentarians can raise issues relating to human rights in the public arena, including issues identified through their interaction with civil society, thus helping to forge a national consensus on upholding human rights. Parliamentarians can show leadership in that regard and can champion the human rights situations of specific groups and victims of discrimination. They can also investigate alleged human rights violations through parliamentary inquiries, and can hold public hearings on human rights-related issues, or carry out on-site visits. Parliaments also have a key role to play in raising public awareness of important human rights issues through campaigns. 27. The role of parliaments in the promotion and protection of human rights at the national level can be greatly enhanced through their active and proactive engagement with all international and regional human rights mechanisms, including the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council. 28. Parliaments are uniquely positioned to contribute to closing the implementation gap, to prevent violations of human rights and to ensure better protection, especially of vulnerable groups, by ensuring oversight of the executive’s primary responsibility for the implementation of human rights recommendations. As highlighted by the SecretaryGeneral, parliaments can ensure transparency and accountability for States’ human rights obligations and in following up and ensuring the implementation of recommendations by regional and international human rights mechanisms (A/72/351). 29. It should be noted that, within the context of the universal periodic review, more than 50 per cent of recommendations require or involve parliamentary action. Through its legislative and oversight functions, parliament can take action in a wide range of areas, 6