A/HRC/41/40 rather than temporary, project-based or one-off grants, to enable them to include internal displacement in their core and long-term activities. While Governments should legally ensure adequate funding while guaranteeing their ability to work independently, NHRIs must often expand their work within existing resources, with obvious consequences. Their ability to receive external funding, in line with the Paris Principles, 11 was highlighted, as was the need to work with donors to enhance their understanding of the critical role and value of NHRIs. 30. In conflict situations, UNHCR has consistently supported and funded NHRIs to enhance their work on issues affecting IDPs, while conscious that its funding not jeopardize perceptions of the institutions’ autonomy.12 Nevertheless, funding shortfalls are common. In Nigeria, despite funding and support from UNHCR, the national human rights institution had to focus its work on creating a protection framework with community-based monitors in three states rather than seven in which needs had been identified. In Afghanistan, a programme launched in 2004, supported by UNHCR, allowed the national institution to extend its work on IDPs throughout the country but, despite massive ongoing and new displacement, this ended in 2010 due to funding shortfalls. Damage to relations between populations and NHRIs can result when programmes begin and then cease as funds are exhausted. 31. In countries which have experienced internal displacement, NHRIs may have built internal capacity, a strong skills base and staff equipped to quickly address new displacement situations. In others, internal displacement is a new or rare phenomenon and national authorities and NHRIs must quickly adapt and establish capacity to meet the needs of IDPs. The need for long-term, dedicated staffing was identified, as was the requirement for training across the institution to build institutional knowledge rather than relying on short-term consultants. NHRIs stressed that, to fulfil their potential, allocation of resources and staffing must be sufficient to deal with new and challenging human rights situations often involving thousands of people, many of whom may be hard to reach. 32. Preparation and contingency planning for possible displacement scenarios is key to rapid and effective responses. Indeed, the extent of internal displacement caused by such factors as development projects, unregulated business activities, generalized violence, forced evictions, climate change and slow-onset disasters means that Governments and NHRIs should enhance their institutional capacity and readiness to respond to displacement events that are often predictable. Some NHRIs noted that greater attention is given by Governments to internal displacement caused by conflict or political violence than displacement caused by other factors that can be predicted or is the consequence of government action or development priorities, despite the huge numbers displaced by such causes. 33. Despite grave rights violations against IDPs, too often specialist human rights actors are absent or prevented from deploying in humanitarian and displacement crises and such violations, including by armed non-State or State actors and civilian authorities, take place with impunity. Access for national institution monitors to areas of conflict or affected populations remains a significant challenge, both during and in the aftermath of conflict. Internally displaced persons may be in areas outside government control and in difficult-toreach areas. NHRIs may have greater possibilities of access to them that do not exist for national authorities or international actors and no restrictions should be imposed on their access to areas outside government control. 34. National human rights institutions may operate under conditions of ongoing conflict and/or political or social volatility. Their independent status and non-alignment with any political party or faction is critical to their role among all stakeholders, including IDPs, who rely on them to represent their interests. According to their mandates, NHRIs are impartial 11 12 8 GANHRI, general observations on the Paris Principles, general observation 1.10. Available at https://nhri.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/GANHRIAccreditation/General%20Observations%201/EN_Gene ralObservations_Revisions_adopted_21.02.2018_vf.pdf. UNHCR Engagement with National Human Rights Institutions for IDP Protection: Stocktaking Exercise, 2016 (complemented by a checklist for field offices to engage with NHRIs).