A/HRC/30/20 29. NHRIs also promote public awareness of human rights 59 in the media, through press releases, reports, expert opinions and recommendations 60 (including advocacy for the ratification of human rights treaties61). NHRIs have created Visitor Centres as a means of education and outreach, and some take part in television programmes including to present cases and issues to the public.62 Finally, NHRIs further serve to share good practices and lessons learned between States where their recommendations and views are made public, for example as part of annual reports. C. Planning and monitoring tools 30. A number of planning and monitoring tools may assist States and other stakeholders in the prevention of human rights violations, in particular in the development of policies. Some States have developed national action plans on human rights63 or action plans on specific thematic issues,64 which can serve to guide prevention efforts. Further, the establishment of a body which brings together relevant State entities, NHRIs and civil society to advise either the State or the NHRI in relation to human rights issues in general or in relation to a specific group,65 for example older persons,66 is also important. Human rights impact assessments 31. Human rights impact assessments are instruments for examining policies, legislation, programmes and projects prior to their adoption to identify and measure their impact on human rights (e.g. A/HRC/19/59/Add.5). They are designed to identify the intended and unintended impact on the enjoyment of human rights, and the State’s ability to protect and fulfil them. As such, they are a planning tool to prevent human rights violations by assessing the formal or apparent compatibility of laws, policies, budgets 67 and other measures with human rights obligations, as well as the likely impact in practice, thus creating the opportunity for reconsideration, revision or adjustment prior to adoption. Prior consultation with relevant stakeholders can assist in identifying possible impacts on human rights. Such efforts can lead to government branches and departments adopting a mandatory human rights-based approach to planning, as well as a mandatory and systematic use of international and regional human rights mechanisms recommendations in the formulation of public policies.68 A noteworthy and recent example includes the requirement in article 7 of the Arms Trade Treaty that, when a proposed transfer of conventional arms is not prohibited, the exporting State must still assess notably where they could be used to commit 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 Response by Qatar; Response by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Response by the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights. Response by the Jordan National Centre for Human Rights. Response by the Austrian Ombudsman Board. The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 recommended that “Each State consider the desirability of drawing up a national action plan identifying steps whereby that State would improve the promotion and protection of human rights.” See Handbook on National Human Rights Plans of Action (United Nations, 2002). Response by Albania; Response by Kazakhstan; Response by Honduras. Submissions reflected a wide range of legislation, policies and programmes including with regard to trafficking, migration, and violence against women. See also A/HRC/18/24, paras. 9–10. Response by Argentina; Response by Georgia. See also A/HRC/18/24, paras. 18–19. Response by Slovakia. The Convention on the Rights of the Child has raised the importance of budgeting in relation to the best interests of the child (General comment No. 14 (2013), para. 35). See also A/HRC/28/30, para. 19. For illustrations, see OHCHR Annual Report 2011, pp. 64–66. 11