A/HRC/45/42 on Accreditation agreed to postpone, until further notice, the session scheduled for March 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19.3 3. Fellowship programme for staff of A status national human rights institutions 77. Since 2008, OHCHR has carried out a fellowship programme for staff of A status national human rights institutions to familiarize beneficiaries with the international human rights system and with the work of OHCHR. The programme therefore contributes to strengthen the capacity of A status national human rights institutions and the capacity of their staff to discharge their mandate in line with international norms and standards. This programme has been praised by participating fellows and their institutions. During the period under review, staff from the national human rights institutions of Egypt, Georgia, Liberia, Mexico, the Philippines and Zimbabwe, as well as the State of Palestine, participated in the programme. III. Best practices among national human rights institutions during the pandemic 78. In April 2020, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights sent a letter and an aide-memoire to all national human rights institutions on their role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. Subsequently, OHCHR compiled and analysed information received from 57 national human rights institutions regarding actions and initiatives they had undertaken in the context of the pandemic. 79. The main types of actions undertaken by national human rights institutions included: (a) Advising Governments by issuing statements and recommendations on how to respond to the pandemic while protecting human rights; (b) Issuing guidance to Governments on the importance of applying specific and targeted measures to protect the most vulnerable groups; (c) Monitoring the implementation of emergency measures and human rights in general and in places of detention; (d) Monitoring health facilities to ensure provision of adequate health care; (e) Sharing information with rights holders on their rights and the protection of human rights during the pandemic; (f) Ensuring virtual access to their services during lockdown, including through social media platforms where institutions could convey public information and receive information from the public. 80. Most national human rights institutions dedicated a page to COVID-19 on their websites, and some engaged with parliamentary committees and government bodies to draft legislation and policies related to lockdowns. The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions set up an online platform where national human rights institutions may share information and good practices relating to the response to the pandemic.4 3 4 For additional information, see A/HRC/45/43. More information is available at https://ganhri.org/learning-platforms/. 11