A/HRC/40/65 institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles). Parliaments and national human rights institutions should engage in regular dialogue so that parliamentarians can benefit from the institution’s human rights expertise and take greater account of human rights during legislative processes. Parliaments and national human rights institutions should implement the Belgrade Principles on the relationship between national human rights institutions and parliaments, which contain concrete recommendations for strengthening their relationship. 54. Parliaments should view civil society organizations as partners and pay due attention to the issues raised by them. Similarly, civil society should recognize the role of parliaments as the institution that represents the people and should share expertise or concerns with parliament and parliamentarians on issues of pressing social concern. Interventions by civil society organizations should be made in a constructive, responsible and accountable manner. 55. Parliaments should take steps to facilitate dialogue with civil society organizations and enable regular engagement with parliamentarians, including by information sharing, rather than restricting such interactions. Parliaments should also put in place the necessary legal framework to enable civil society to do its work without fear of reprisals. 56. Parliaments should prioritize transparency and accountability, and combat corruption, to remain legitimate in the eyes of the public. Voting records should be made available for public scrutiny, preferably in electronic form. 57. Parliamentarians should promote constructive and open engagement with the media to reach the public more effectively, gain their trust, and increase accountability. The media should contribute to fostering dialogue between parliamentarians and civil society, including by providing opportunities for people to express their views and exert influence over decision makers. The media should focus on substantive issues rather than adopt a sensationalist approach. VI. Enhancing the involvement of parliaments in international human rights mechanisms A. Discussions 58. The discussion on agenda item 5 was moderated by Mr. Hunt. The panellists were Sophie Kiladze, Member of the Parliament of Georgia; Nicole Ameline, member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women-IPU Working Group; Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon; and Stefan Krauss, Acting Head of the Human Rights Action Unit, Directorate for Democracy Support, Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, European Parliament. The discussions focused on measures to ensure structured and regular participation by national and regional parliaments in the work of the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, including the universal periodic review. Participants also identified measures to increase collaboration between parliaments and human rights treaty bodies for the implementation of recommendations. Participants examined the human rights work of international and regional parliamentary organizations, including successful initiatives taken to strengthen the attention paid to human rights issues. 59. Ms. Kiladze described the work of the Public Defender (Ombudsman), which oversaw human rights in Georgia, advised the Government on human rights issues and analysed laws, policies and practices for compliance with international standards. The Public Defender reported annually to Parliament which, in turn, after receiving the reports, made recommendations to the executive and the judiciary. Around 75 per cent of recommendations had been accepted. Ms. Kiladze described the work of the parliamentary Human Rights Committee, which monitored the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and recommendations of United Nations human rights 14