A regional human rights mechanism to promote education and advocacy in the Pacific should be established, said delegates to an international conference held in Samoa last month.

Significant changes to the mandate and operations of the APF's advisory body on international human rights law will be implemented over the coming year. 

Four officers from the Indonesian Commission on Human Rights recently completed staff placements with the national human rights commissions of India and New Zealand.

The APF Secretariat recently farewelled Christina Trahanas, a law student from the University of New South Wales, who completed a highly productive 10-month internship.

The rising cost of food and chronic food shortages are directly threatening the lives of more than 850 million people.

A key factor in delivering effective training for member institutions is to regularly evaluate and review the service, says the APF's coordinator of regional training.