What are national human rights institutions?
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NHRIs are independent organisations set up by states to promote and protect
human rights within their countries. The organisations come in various forms–
such as human rights commissions, ombuds institutions– and commonly
have multiple mandates. For example, half of the NHRIs covered by this
report are also ombuds institutions2 and 16 have either full or partial equality
mandates (for more detail, see Section1.1.2, ‘NHRIs with multiple mandates’).
Regardless of their exact structure and powers, they are vital to advancing
human rights at the national level.
NHRIs have inherent links to international human rights law, which strengthens
their roles and impact, and they are subject to the international minimum
standards set out in the Paris Principles.3 These Principles provide the framework
for independence and effectiveness in promoting and protecting human
rights. The UnitedNations(UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
specifically Sustainable Development Goal16 on strong institutions, includes
an indicator for NHRIs compliant with the Paris Principles (indicator16.A.1.).
According to the GlobalAllianceofNationalHumanRightsInstitutions(GANHRI), the
organisation overseeing the compliance of NHRIs with the Paris Principles, in the
general observations adopted by its Sub-committeeonAccreditation(SCA):
“NHRIs are established by States for the specific purpose of advancing and
This report aims to contribute to strengthening national human
rightsinstitutions’(NHRIs’) effectiveness and impact in EU Member States
and within the EU framework. The report provides an overview of the
status and roles of NHRIs in the EU Member States, North Macedonia,
Serbia and the United Kingdom. It focuses on developments since the
EuropeanUnionAgencyforFundamentalRights’(FRA’s) previous report on
NHRIs, in 2010.1
The report also offers acomparative analysis, outlining the diverse factors
that affect NHRIs’ independence and effectiveness and impact, and looks at
opportunities for them to address challenges. It highlights the role of NHRIs
in the EU. It also indicates promising practices and the potential for greater
engagement such as the role of the NHRIs in supporting monitoring of the
rule of law and compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union (the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights).
Why this report? Strengthening NHRIs
in the EU
What are national human rights
institutions?
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