A/HRC/41/40 2. Establishing internal expertise and capacity 50. The establishment of institutional focal points or units on internal displacement within NHRIs constitutes a good practice. These units should be established early as part of preventive and early warning measures and not only be triggered by displacement incidents. National human rights institutions emphasized the value of institutionalizing knowledge on internal displacement standards and issues. Even in States with little or no experience of displacement due to conflict or disaster, establishing such institutional expertise is recommended as a preventive and preparedness measure, including to address displacement that occurs due to development or infrastructure projects or incidents of ethnic, religious or political violence. 51. National human rights institutions decide on the appropriate solutions for establishing institutional knowledge of internal displacement within their organizational and operational structures. Whichever solution is favoured, building institutional resources and capacity, including through the training of existing staff, is essential. Where lack of technical knowledge is identified, NHRIs have been proactive in seeking support to meet the needs of IDPs. Several avenues of international support exist, including technical capacity tools and guidelines provided by OHCHR, UNHCR, the Special Rapporteur and other international human rights and humanitarian bodies and agencies. 15 3. National human rights institutions as part of multi-institutional approaches 52. Multi-institutional approaches to the support and protection of IDPs have proven effective, with institutions working with well-defined and complementary roles towards collective outcomes. UNHCR has highlighted 16 that working in partnership with NHRIs on protection monitoring enhanced their access to vulnerable people, to those in difficult security situations and to insecure regions. Close working partnerships and financial and technical support to NHRIs by international partners have increased their operational capacity and effectiveness. In Afghanistan and Nigeria, UNHCR noted that, due partly to its own reputation and status, its decision to partner with NHRIs further enhanced the reputation of those institution with government actors, with benefits in terms of access, influence and standing. 53. Working in partnership with humanitarian agencies has enhanced the capacity, skills and expertise of sometimes less experienced, poorly resourced NHRIs. Including NHRIs systematically in protection and other relevant clusters, including the humanitarian cluster system, or national working groups has benefited bodies working to ensure effective, efficient and collaborative action across priority sectors and national and international stakeholders. 54. A natural international partner for NHRIs is OHCHR which, through its National Institutions and Regional Mechanisms Section, supports the establishment and strengthening of NHRIs and works to support them in the implementation of their broad human rights mandates.17 OHCHR establishes guidance notes, methodological tools, best practices and lessons learned on issues related to IDPs, recognizing that the presence of strong NHRIs conducting human rights monitoring is particularly critical and essential to ensuring that there is no human rights and protection vacuum. OHCHR also provides support to NHRIs by, for example, deploying Human Rights Officers to crisis situations. Previous collaboration and joint activities help to ensure that NHRIs are well prepared for and capable of continuing and enhancing their essential roles with IDPs in the absence of international partners. 55. While it is a core activity of humanitarian bodies, human rights and protection monitoring is frequently more narrowly defined in the context of national institutions’ humanitarian mandates and priorities. Strategically, it may be beneficial to address some sensitive human rights issues through interventions that go beyond the scope of existing 15 16 17 12 See, for example, UNHCR, Handbook for the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons (n.d.). See UNHCR, Stocktaking Exercise. See www.ohchr.org/en/countries/nhri/pages/nhrimain.aspx.