MALE: A five member team from Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) from different departments of the commission is attending a week long training program in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The training program held from 15-19 June, is aimed at building knowledge and ideas to better support and protection of human defenders, and is hosted by the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal. Representatives from 4 Asia Pacific Forum (APF) member institutions, including representatives from the national human rights institutions of India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan will participate in the training.

The Human Rights Defenders training program was developed in collaboration with the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and will be conducted by experts from the ISHR with additional input from APF staff.

Further, HRCM's Complaints Department Director, Ali Nashath Hameed is attending a program, "Police Reform, Internal Security and the Rule of Law: Experiences in Germany", which is held in Germany. The program held from 13 – 20 June will be attended by representatives of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and members of the South Asian Network of the NGOs on Police Reform.

During this program participants will learn about the police force in Germany as an integral part of the rule of law structures, how the force fulfils its role in a democracy, how reform processes are tackled in Germany and how civil society organizations have made and can make a contribution.

In addition, HRCM member Mariyam Azra Ahmed has left for Kathmandu, Nepal to attend a consultation meeting on the Draft Regional Strategic paper on SAARC Convention on Trafficking in person - Review and current Status, which will be held on 18th June 2009.

Maldives is a member of the Regional Coordination Group (RCG), which was constituted to undertake a regional study to identify the gaps and limitations in the SAARC Convention and to suggest recommendations.