A/70/334 collect data and carry out risk assessments to map potential displacement threats. In countries where displacement has already taken place, trends and patterns can be recurrent and new internal displacement events can potentially be foreseen. These bodies can alert the Government and other actors of the likelihood of displacement. 43. National human rights institutions, as independent human rights actors, have an essential role to play in preventing conflict-induced displacement and development-induced displacement in particular. One of the roles of national human rights institutions is to closely monitor the human rights situation and, in many cases, human rights violations precede and can trigger waves of internal displacement. In countries where displacement has alread y taken place and is likely to occur again, for example, countries vulnerable to cyclical disasters or where political instability or conflict has been ongoing for some time, national human rights institutions are valuable in preventing, preparing for and mitigating the consequences of renewed internal displacement. 44. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has been active in displacement issues since becoming operational in 2003 ( A/HRC/19/54/Add.2). It established regional offices and field monitors and has the responsibility, inter alia, to investigate allegations of human rights violations against internally displaced persons, to advocate on their behalf and to monitor the situation of internally displaced persons living in different settings. As co -chair of the National Protection Working Group on Internal Displacement, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights played a major role in advocating for the development and adoption of an national policy on internally displaced persons policy. 45. In Colombia, an early warning mechanism was introduced in 2002, under the Office of the Ombudsman. This system was created to monitor conditions that could trigger conflict-induced displacement, human rights violations or other type of violence. When an imminent risk is detected, the Office of the Ombudsman sends a report to the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Early Warning, which would make the final decision whether to issue an early warning notice. 8 However, while the practice is a good one, the Inter-Ministerial Committee has reportedly failed to respond quickly and effectively enough to reports issued by the Office of the Ombudsman warning of displacement. 46. The role of national human rights institutions in prevention can be enhanced if there is an internally displaced persons focal point or a specific unit dealing with internal displacement issues. An internally displaced persons focal point can be responsible for raising awareness of displacement issues and the applicable international and regional standards and for training government officials and other actors to ensure that they understand their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, including in relation to specific vulnerable groups. As independent bodies, national human rights institutions are essential channels of communication between authorities and rights holders and can reach out to communities and inform them of their rights, register individual complaints an d investigate specific cases so that perpetrators of violations are held accountable. 47. Establishing mediation mechanisms at the community level within diverse or conflict-affected communities can be useful in working towards the prevention of conflict- or violence-induced displacement. While visiting South Sudan in __________________ 8 15-12504 Ibid. 13/26