A/HRC/21/62 Human Rights Committee of the National Assembly, the National Council for Child Welfare and the Unit for Combating Violence against Women and Children. 15. In the meetings held with Government representatives and bodies, reference was made to the efforts of the Government to improve the situation of human rights in the country, including through the creation of institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights. Particular reference was made to the Advisory Council on Human Rights, which is composed of heads of different organs of Government and representatives of selected civil society organizations. The Advisory Council is the governmental body responsible for mainstreaming human rights across all governmental sectors in the Sudan. It is responsible for coordinating Government strategy for implementing the recommendations made during the universal periodic review, and has prepared a draft document. thereon2 While the document is a demonstration of the Government’s positive engagement with the review mechanism, no time frames have been specified for many of the implementation strategies. The Independent Expert recommends that the implementation strategies be streamlined into short-term, medium-term and long-term goals, with the aim of completing the long-term goals by the second cycle of the universal periodic review for the Sudan. 16. During the Independent Expert’s visit, the Advisory Council on Human Rights organized a high-level forum for developing the capacities of human rights in the Sudan, which was attended by Government officials, members of the diplomatic community and international partners. The forum, if properly utilized, has the potential to serve as an important medium of interaction between the Government and the international community in the Sudan and could help to identify the best ways to develop human rights capacities in the country. The Independent Expert recommends that the forum be reconvened for this purpose, and is prepared to provide technical advice and support for its effective implementation. 17. With regard to the composition of the Advisory Council on Human Rights, the Independent Expert heard expressions of concern that only pro-government human rights organizations were currently accorded membership to the body. Despite being a governmental body, there is no doubt that the advisory role of the Council can be enriched by inputs from independent non-governmental human rights organizations. To that end, the Independent Expert recommends that the Council build into its operation regular consultative meetings with all national non-governmental human rights organizations to deliberate on the situation of human rights in the Sudan. Such consultative meetings would create an atmosphere of trust and mutual cooperation between the Government and civil society organizations, which could consequently help to improve the human rights environment. 18. In January 2012, the Government established the National Commission for Human Rights, another important national institution. During meetings with the Independent Expert, members of the Commission emphasized the importance of guaranteeing its independence, diversity and accessibility. The Independent Expert supports the Commission in its determination to operate as an independent body in accordance with the provisions of the Paris Principles. Its independence is essential, and must be encouraged and respected by the Government if it is to discharge its responsibilities effectively. The Commission is very young, and will thus require substantial technical assistance and capacity-building in the form of training and logistic support for its members. 2 The document is available for consultation from the secretariat of the Human Rights Council or from the office of the mandate holder. 5