The ombudsman should identify minority-related international monitoring bodies or mechanisms, and international NGOs active in the minority protection field. In order to ensure that the minority ombudsman institution is fully appraised of international developments, it is crucial that it identifies bodies with which it should develop contacts, and that it has a strategy to ensure that such contacts are maintained. The institution should identify all the treaty bodies created under all the international instruments to which the state is a party and all monitoring bodies of international organizations to which the state belongs which may have a minorities remit. The institution should, however, also identify treaty bodies under minorities-related instruments and monitoring bodies of international organizations of which the state is not a party. The institution should then contact such bodies, and have the institution put on all electronic and other mailing lists to ensure that it is in receipt of all information disseminated by such bodies. It should also send to such bodies any newsletter or other output of the sort described above that is produced by the institution which may be of interest or use to the treaty body. PART III Cooperation with Similar Institutions in Other Jurisdictions, and International Agencies and Institutions The institution should also identify bodies with a similar remit to its own in other jurisdictions; such institutions in neighbouring countries or within the region will probably be of greatest relevance. Again, once such bodies are established, contact should be made, and mechanisms for the mutual exchange of information should be established. The institution should also identify international NGOs dealing with minority issues, and establish the same sort of contacts and information-exchange mechanisms. Finally, the institution should identify university departments, research institutes, and individual researchers who are active in the area of minorities, and ensure that contact is made with them and that links are established. If links of the sort described above are established, it is likely that the minority ombudsman institution will begin to receive large amounts of documentation. Once again, it is essential that a library coordinator/research officer monitors such information, making sure that documents are recorded and catalogued in a manner which allows for quick and easy retrieval. Such information could also be monitored for the purposes of domestic distribution, in the manner described above, and for the purposes of identifying possible developments relevant for staff training. 67