Nineteen African countries have adopted national action plans to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 at the time of writing these Guidelines : Kenya (2016), South Sudan (2016), the Gambia (2014), Central African Republic (2014), Ghana (2012), Senegal (2011), Mali (2012), Nigeria (2013), Burundi (2012), Togo (2012), Burkina Faso (2012), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2010), Sierra Leone (2010), Guinea Bissau (2010), Liberia (2009), Rwanda (2009), Guinea (2009), Uganda (2008), and Côte d’Ivoire (2008). Algeria, Angola, and Tanzania are planning to adopt similar plans sometime in 2017. C. NATIONAL GENDER EQUALITY INSTITUTIONS AND NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOR THE PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS 70. Creation Pursuant to the Principles relating to the status and functioning of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles), States must establish national gender equality institutions, either constitutionally or through legislation. Where such institutions are lacking, the directives listed below should apply mutatis mutandis to NHRIs. 71. Composition States must ensure that the procedures governing the creation of these institutions and the appointment of their members guarantee that civil society organisations specialized in combating gender-based violence and discrimination are represented. 72. Independence States must take the necessary measures to guarantee the independence of these institutions. In particular, these institutions must have sufficient resources of their own (financial, human and material) to ensure their autonomy. 73. Powers States must allow these institutions to: • review and evaluate policies, legislation, regulations and practices related to sexual violence and its consequences, and draft public reports; • recommend the adoption of new legislation and regulations or reforms of the texts relating to sexual violence and its consequences, pursuant to regional and international instruments for the protection of human rights. States must ensure that these institutions are consulted in legislative and regulatory procedures related to sexual violence and its consequences; • participate in the creation of teaching and training programs related to gender-based violence and discrimination, and the fight against sexual violence and its consequences, and in their implementation; • conduct investigations relating to sexual violence and its consequences. They must be authorized to receive and examine complaints and to implement sanctions after adversarial proceedings, or to forward these complaints to competent authorities. 74. Referrals States must take the necessary measures for these institutions to be able to act on their own initiative, or for cases to be referred to them by national authorities, individuals or their representatives, third parties, non-governmental organisations, associations and unions and any other representative organisation. 48 GUIDELINES ON COMBATING SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN AFRICA