UN General Assembly
1997

countries can be strengthened through subregional and regional arrangements which provide a framework for exchanges of views and experiences. Australia is a strong supporter of the development of such arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region. Since an inaugural meeting in Darwin in 1996 there has been a steady consolidation of links among established and emerging Asia-Pacific human rights commissions. The 1996 meeting saw the commissions of Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and India — later also joined by the Philippines — establish a regional network of human rights commissions, the Asia-Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions, with a supporting Secretariat based in and financed by Australia. The aim of this network is to strengthen cooperation among national human rights institutions, including through information sharing, staff exchanges, technical cooperation and an annual regional meeting. It also assists other regional Governments wishing to establish such institutions. The most recent regional meeting has just been held, in New Delhi. It attracted participation from the founding human rights commissions as well as that of Sri Lanka. Other regional countries from Asia and the