A/HRC/38/39 according to need. In some cases, innovative communication methodologies are required or could be employed to make them accessible to a wider audience and bring them to the attention of internally displaced persons, including those who are poorly educated or illiterate and unaware of basic human rights. For example, translating the Guiding Principles into Braille would make them more accessible to blind people or the visually impaired. Empowering internally displaced persons, including women and those belonging to vulnerable groups, to know and claim their rights is an obligation of all stakeholders, but a factor which is often overlooked in the delivery of assistance and support. D. Enhancing the role of national human rights institutions and civil society 48. Human rights violations frequently precede or trigger internal displacement and occur during or after displacement. As independent human rights bodies, national human rights institutions have a critical role to play in promoting and protecting the human rights of internally displaced persons.11 Countries where national human rights institutions have played a prominent role in addressing internal displacement include Colombia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, Uganda and Ukraine. 49. Over the past years, national human rights institutions have adjusted their functions to becoming more aware of the protection concerns of internally displaced persons and more operational in advocacy on their behalf. They have become active in relevant protection clusters and working groups, established institutional focal points and expanded their presence in locations requiring protection monitoring. That has allowed them to gather systematic data that can influence the actions of governmental and non-governmental actors. With enhanced operational roles, they can be key stakeholders in the development and implementation of legislation and policy. 50. Nevertheless, the role of national human rights institutions can be strengthened and the Special Rapporteur has conducted a consultative process to examine how they work with and on behalf of internally displaced persons to promote and protect their human rights, in preparation for a report to be submitted to the Human Rights Council in 2019, which will be dedicated to the topic. The objective is to encourage and assist national human rights institutions to use the Guiding Principles in their work to promote and protect the human rights of internally displaced persons. 51. Galvanizing civil society to play a role in encouraging national law and policy and implementation of the Guiding Principles is an important goal. Civil society and volunteer organizations are at the forefront of national responses to internal displacement and can be active in promoting and disseminating the Guiding Principles and other relevant information at the national and local levels, including in their interactions with internally displaced persons and in languages used by them. They can play a vital and influential role in advocating widely for the application of the Guiding Principles by national authorities and international organizations and promoting their adoption through national legislation and policy. Often with close contact with internally displaced persons, civil society organizations can support training on the Guiding Principles for staff, for the displaced themselves and for relevant authorities and partners. V. Enhancing regional frameworks and action to support States affected by internal displacement 52. Regional human rights legal and policy frameworks on internal displacement offer the possibility of a common normative framework that builds on the Guiding Principles but recognizes and takes into account unique regional characteristics and challenges. As noted by the Global Protection Cluster, regional frameworks can capitalize on lessons learned at 11 12 See, for example, “UNHCR engagement with national human rights institutions for IDP protection: stocktaking exercise” (February 2016), available from www.refworld.org/docid/571a19194.html.