A/HRC/30/42 contributions to the commissions may be accessible in the future under specified conditions; 13. Establish guidelines for access to truth commission records, which shall take into account: (a) General access rules, such as what was previously public should remain public; victims, families, investigative and prosecutorial authorities, as well as legal defense teams, should have unhindered access to information on their specific case; there should be a presumption of public access to all State information with only limited exceptions; a procedure to make effective the right of access should be established; whatever access rules are determined for various categories of potential users (for example, victims, legal representatives, journalists, academics, and members of the general public) should apply to all members of the given category without discrimination; (b) Categorization of records enabling familiar distinctions between types of documents (e.g. reports of own investigations, records of own meetings, victims’ testimonies, documents obtained from other institutions, organizations, or private persons etc.) that will allow for a differentiated approach in facilitating access, in accordance with general access rules, to each type of document/collection; (c) The need for effective mechanisms of reference services, as well as new technological advances in managing archives; 14. Develop, with the support of national and international expertise and assistance, provisions and measures to secure and preserve national archives, including by building effective and sustainable record management and archival systems, which includes, i.a., secure and adequate premises and clear appraisal policies; 15. Elaborate policies concerning relevant records and archives of non-State actors, including private businesses, so as to maximize effective management and access of these records by the truth commission. II. Possible recommendations by truth commissions 16. Regarding their recommendations on archives and the establishment of national archival policies that concern records containing information on gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law, truth commissions are encouraged to: 17. Address the issue of reform of national archival legislation and institutions to encourage the establishment of modern, accessible, and reliable archives which are essential for the long-term preservation and use of records containing information on gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law. Recommendations should include that reform efforts ought to be conducted with the participation of public institutions, civil society, and archival experts; 18. Make recommendations to preserve and actively use national archives, including archives of security services; 19. Call for independent oversight over the archives, including of archives of formerly repressive regimes; 20. Recommend the creation of archival laws, freedom of information legislation, data protection legislation and transparency requirements within other laws, which take into account the right to information, the right to know the truth, and the specificity of the records dealing with human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law; 29