A/HRC/38/18 61. In order for States and organizations to provide and foster effective engagement, OHCHR and the contributors to the present report recommend that they: (a) Adopt policies and frameworks for civil society engagement that recognize the contribution of civil society, and establish clear, effective, human rightsbased and gender-sensitive channels of participation and engagement; and establish institutional mechanisms to promote a systematic and meaningful civil society engagement, such as advisory boards; (b) Expand the transparency of decision-making processes and access to public meetings, including by making information available in a timely manner, in relevant languages, with minimum restrictions and by employing new communications tools to maximize outreach, based on explicit policies that comply with human rights; (c) Put in place transparent, fair and gender-sensitive accreditation processes that deliver prompt decisions in compliance with human rights standards, including by establishing grievance mechanisms for redress, and address any erroneous accreditation decisions; (d) Review the practice and procedures of the Economic and Social Council Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations for granting consultative status so that it complies fully with international standards, such as non-discrimination, accountability and transparency, and ensure that they are fit for the purpose of securing full, diverse and timely civil society participation; (e) Adopt and implement robust policies on access to information, including by appointing focal points and ensuring secure information channels; (f) Ensure the safety and security of persons seeking to engage with regional and international organizations, including online, prevent any acts of reprisals by State or non-State actors against them and, when such reprisals do occur, condemn them and ensure accountability and access to an effective remedy; (g) Enable the prompt and objective review by independent accountability mechanisms of restrictions imposed on civil society engagement at the international and regional levels, for example through a review panel or an Ombudsperson; (h) Report regularly on civil society engagement, including on measures taken to bolster engagement and diversify civic society partners; (i) Reach out proactively to underrepresented parts of civil society with a view to ensuring the diversity of civil society participation, by including women, children, young people, older persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic, national, linguistic and racial minorities, migrants and indigenous people; (j) Explore avenues to enable the participation of those segments of civil society and individuals that are not associated with or organized in NGOs, including social movements; (k) Consider different institutional arrangements, such as the creation of civil society advisory boards, liaison units in secretariats of international organizations and the development of tools to increase capacity for effective civil society participation; (l) Ensure that those bodies responsible for civil society engagement have the resources necessary and provide other forms of support to the least represented civil society actors, including training and funding for travel. Special considerations should be given to organizations that face challenges in gaining access to the resources necessary to function effectively, including as a result of restrictions placed on access to foreign funding. In parallel, expand remote participation through videoconferencing and conference hubs and, where possible, organize meetings and conferences in accessible and less costly places or venues; 16