INFO NOTE No. 24 National Human Rights Institutions January-June 2011

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1 INFO NOTE No. 24 National Human Rights Institutions January-June 2011 I. International ICC Bureau Meeting 16 May 24 th Annual Session of the ICC The 24th session of the annual meeting of the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights was held from 17 to 19 May 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. The annual meeting s agenda included items such as NHRI best practices in following up Universal Periodic Review s (UPR) recommendations; NHRI engagement with treaty bodies; NHRIs and Indigenous Peoples rights; the role of the NHRIs in the protection of women rights; follow up on the Durban Review Conference and NHRIs; Human Rights Education; and Business and Human Rights. ICC Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) SCA reviewed NHRIs from the following countries during May 2011: New accreditation: Bangladesh, Hungary, Romania, Sierra Leone, Sweden Re-accreditation: Australia, Austria, Canada, El Salvador, India, Mauritania, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Senegal, Slovakia Special Review: Azerbaijan, Nepal SCA will review NHRIs from the following countries during October. New accreditation: Bulgaria (2 institutions), Bermuda, Macedonia Re-accreditation: Tanzania, Zambia, Mexico, Senegal, Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica, Egypt, Armenia, Norway The meeting of the Bureau of the International Coordinating Committee (ICC) was held on 16 May 2011 in Geneva. The members of the Bureau discussed the following topics: - Statement of the International Coordinating Committee to the 17th session of the Human Rights Council on the adoption of the draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and encouraging ICC members to engage at a national level with their governments; - Statement of the International Coordinating Committee for the Conference of State Parties of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); - Engagement with State Parties Bureau members of the above-mentioned Conference on the independent recognition for NHRIs at this Conference. The Bureau members decided to establish a Working Group to work on the recognition of the independent status of NHRIs before all UN bodies and agencies, including the Commission on the Status of Women and the States Conference on the CRPD. The Bureau also agreed on supporting the development of a General Assembly resolution with an emphasis on the Paris Principles and independent recognition of NHRIs before all UN bodies and agencies, as well as on supporting the development of an NHRI resolution for the 17th session of the Human Rights Council including a request for an annual report on NHRIs from the High Commissioner.

2 Human Rights Council Sessions 2011 OHCHR, in cooperation with the Geneva representative of the International Coordinating Committee, continued to support the participation of NHRIs in the Human Rights Council including through oral and written contributions, as follows; enter into a tripartite partnership through exchange of letters. Key elements of the partnership: holding an annual UNDP-OHCHR-ICC strategic meeting to review joint projects and activities in the establishment, development and effectiveness of NHRIs; engagement with the UN HR mechanisms; NHRI capacity assessment and gaps analysis projects; engagement on thematic issues; information and knowledge management. The first annual meeting of the UNDP-OHCHR-ICC strategic review is to take place at the end of August The New ICC Website of NHRIs Launched - 16 th session Georgia, Morocco, Malaysia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nicaragua and Ukraine APF, NANHRI - 17 th session Great Britain, Korea International Coordinating Committee Universal Periodic Review in 2011 OHCHR has continued to provide support to NHRIs to interact with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. In 2011, during the 10th (February), 11th (May) and 12th (October) sessions of the UPR the following 19 NHRIs submitted contributions to the UPR stakeholders reports: -10th session Austria, Australia (A status), Georgia (A status), Namibia (A status), Nepal (A status), Niger and Paraguay (A status); - 11th session Denmark (A status), Greece (A status), Sierra Leone, Somalia/Somaliland; -12th session Haiti, Ireland (A status), Moldova, Swaziland, Togo (A status), Uganda (A status), Tanzania (A status) and Thailand (A status) UNDP-OHCHR-ICC partnership established UNDP, OHCHR and ICC held a meeting in New York in February 2011 at which they decided to OHCHR has provided support to the International Coordinating Committee in developing and administering its new website ( This website became operational in 2011 to replace the former II. Regional Meeting on the establishment of a Permanent Secretariat of the European Group of NHRIs: 21 February OHCHR provided support to the European Group of NHRIs in its efforts to establish a Permanent Secretariat. On 21 February 2011, OHCHR organized a meeting aimed at discussing this initiative, with a view to identifying concrete steps towards the establishment of the permanent secretariat. The meeting took place in Geneva and gathered together representatives from 13 European NHRIs, and the Permanent Secretariats of the Asia Pacific Forum of NHRIs and of the African Network of NHRIs. The meeting also included delegates from Permanent Missions in Geneva and from regional mechanisms such as the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe (CoE). 2

3 5 th meeting of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen: May The 5th meeting of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen entitled "The role of the Ombudsman in reinforcing good governance and democracy" was held in St. Julian, Malta from 30 to 31 May In its statement OHCHR familiarised the participants with UN General assembly resolution 65/207 "The role of the Ombudsman, mediators and other national human rights institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights" which welcomed the active participation of the Office in all international and regional meetings of the Ombudsman, mediator and other national human rights institutions and requested, in cooperation with OHCHR, their accreditation by the ICC, in order to enable them to interact effectively with the relevant UN human rights bodies. A Regional Workshop for the Caribbean States: March A regional workshop on the Establishment of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in compliance with the Paris Principles for the Caribbean region in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago was held from 21 to 23 March The workshop was organised by OHCHR together with the Commonwealth Secretariat. Building on recent developments relating to human rights in the Caribbean, including through the Human Rights Council s Universal Periodic Review process, the main objective of the Regional Workshop was to develop and strengthen the national human rights protection system in the Caribbean States with the goal of developing the establishment of Paris Principles compliant human rights institutions. Parliamentarians, Ombudsman institutions and Senior Government Officials from 12 English speaking Caribbean States attended the workshop. UNCT s representatives from Trinidad & Tobago and the Barbados Office, which covers Barbados and seven other Organization of Eastern Caribbean States countries, also participated at the event. 4 th annual meeting of EU Fundamental Rights Agency with NHRIs 5 April The 4th annual EU Fundamental Rights Agency meeting with NHRIs was held on 5 April 2011 in Vienna, Austria. OHCHR focused in its statement on the diverse NHRI landscape in Europe and the trend to merge human rights and equality institutions or to emphasize cooperation among various types of equality, human rights or ombudsman institutions. It also underlined the importance of the establishment of a Permanent Secretariat of the European Group of NHRIs. OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting: April The OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting took place on April 2011 in Vienna, Austria. OHCHR shared its experience in assisting NHRIs to strengthen their role in the UN Human Rights Council, as a result of the recent review of its working methods, including speaking rights, distribution of written statements and participation in the UPR. HC addresses the Annual Meeting of NHRIs in the Arab States: April On April 2011, the High Commissioner for Human Rights addressed the seventh Annual Meeting of NHRIs in the Arab States on the theme of the role of NHRIs in following up to the recommendations from the UN treaty bodies. The meeting, hosted by the National Human Rights Commission of Mauritania, took place in Nouakchott. It gathered together representatives from the NHRIs of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Mauritania, Algeria and Tunisia. Participants adopted the Declaration of Nouakchott. Workshop on NHRIs and Gender Equality OHCHR participated in the Workshop on the Role of NHRIs in the promotion and protection of women's rights and gender equality, March 2011 held in Prague. This workshop was organized by OSCE and ODIHR for NHRIs from East European countries. 3

4 A training program for NHRIs in Africa: 30 May 8 June OHCHR participated as a facilitator in a training program for NHRIs in Africa held in Accra, Ghana on 30 May - 8 June The workshop was organized by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI), University of Lund, Sweden in collaboration with the Network of Africa National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI). The main purpose of the training was to enhance the capacity and knowledge of staff of NHRIs. The conference was attended by 26 staff from the following countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Iberoamerican Federation of the Ombudsman Annual Meeting: 1 3 June OHCHR participated in the annual meeting of the Iberoamerican Federation of the Ombudsman (FIO). Institutions form Latin America, Spain and Portugal attended the meeting, which was held from 1 to 3 June 2011 in Alacala de Henares, Spain. Participants discussed among others, the following issues: current and future challenges for the Defensorias del Pueblo in promoting and protecting human rights, Millennium Development Goals and NHRIs; promotion of human rights and NHRIs reports; the role of NHRIs in the implementation of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; NHRIs and international human rights mechanisms, NHRIs and the protection of vulnerable groups. Americas NHRI Network Meeting in Geneva A meeting of the Americas NHRI Network was held on 17 May 2011 in Geneva, at the margins of the ICC 24th General meeting. NHRIs from North, Central and South America discussed the Network s plan of work for They approved an initiative to create an Americas Network website and discussed a proposal on the creation of a permanent capacity building programme for NHRI staff in the region and possible ways of cooperation between the Americas Network of NHRIs and the Arabic-Iberoamerican Network of NHRIs. They agreed that the annual regional meeting of the Network will take place in Guatemala in September Self Capacity-Assessments Support OHCHR, UNDP and the Asia Pacific Forum of NHRIs (APF) have provided support to self capacity-assessments by the NHRIs of Palestine (6-8 February 2011 and 3-15 April 2011) and Afghanistan (13-26 May 2011). The self capacityassessments included interviews with the staff of the institutions, as well with other stakeholders. III. National The Americas and the Caribbean Ecuador In the context of the appointment process of the head of the national human rights institution of Ecuador (Defensor del Pueblo), OHCHR has provided support with a view to ensure compliance with the international standards. OHCHR s support has included a training session, in June 2011, addressed to the members of the Council for Public Participation and Social Control, the body responsible for the selection of the Defensor, as well as members of the Transparency and Social Control Branch of Government. OHCHR is exploring further areas of support, including reviewing the normative frameworks that regulates the selection process. Peru On April 2011, OHCHR, through its Regional Office for South America, organized trainings on human rights indicators for Peru s NHRI (Defensoría del Pueblo). The training targeted more than 30 staff and focused particularly on economic, social and cultural rights. The workshop aimed at better integrating human rights indicators into the NHRI s analysis and reports. The office also co-organized with the NHRI of Peru a training session for indigenous peoples on 20 April The training aimed at increasing knowledge and awareness of the UN Declaration of Indigenous Peoples and the international human rights machinery, including how indigenous peoples and civil society can successfully use the UN mechanisms. This training session targeted members of 30 Peruvian indigenous and civil society organizations. 4

5 Africa Burundi On 5 January 2011 the Act for the establishment of the Independent National Human Rights Commission (INHRC) in Burundi was announced. In March regional consultations were held in Rutana, Gitega and Bujumbura, to inform and raise awareness of the members of the Burundian civil society organizations on the new Law. These consultations also aimed at ensuring the transparency of the selection and appointment process of the Commissioners. On 19 May 2011, the National Assembly appointed the 7 commissioners of the INHRC, as well as the members of the Bureau. Niger OHCHR in cooperation with the UNCT organized consultations to raise awareness on the establishment of a new National Human Rights Institution in Niger. On 4 July 2011, a one day consultation with the Ministries will take place, aiming at sensitizing the different ministers for the establishment of a new Human Rights Commission in Niger. A 2 days workshop gathering civil society and NGO representatives, will also take place in Niamey, from 4 to 6 July, on the establishment of a Paris Principles compliant institution. Europe and Central Asia Norway Upon invitation from the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR), OHCHR participated, on 11 January 2011 in Oslo, in a discussion entitled The National Institution for Human Rights in Norway: Quo vadis? The meeting was part of the national consultation process on the restructuring of the NCHR and was attended by a number of representatives of the civil society and staff members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. OHCHR delivered technical assistance and advice with regard to the restructuring of the Norwegian NHRI and its re-accreditation before the International Coordinating Committee. Russia On 18 February 2011 in St. Petersburg, during her visit to the Russian Federation, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights addressed the Annual Meeting of the Coordination Council of sub-national Ombudsman of the Russian Federation. She declared that OHCHR regards the establishment and support of NHRIs and ombudsman offices in compliance with the relevant international standards as a high priority. In particular, OHCHR could share expertise regarding the role of ombudsman institutions regarding the rule of law, conditions of detention and security sector reform. The HC encouraged the participants to enhance their engagement with the United Nations treaty bodies and the special procedures mechanisms of the Human Rights Council. The High Commissioner appealed to the Federal Ombudsman to create space for the subnational institutions to interact with the Human Rights Council. She also called on them to get access to, and benefit from, the coordination and exchanges which took place at the international level through the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Serbia In March 2011, OHCHR provided comments to the Rules of Procedures of the National Assembly of Serbia. The comments focused on the provisions regulating the relationship between the Ombudsman and the Parliament, specifically the mechanisms of oversight and the consideration of reports submitted by the NHRI to the Legislative Branch. OHCHR s comments affected the changes in the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure according to which Parliament's oversight entitlements no longer contain elements of control over the Ombudsman. The foundations have also been set for a more thorough policy debates on issues related to relations between the NHRI and the Parliament. 5

6 Tajikistan In 2011, the UN Joint Program United Nations technical assistance program to strengthen the capacity of the NHRI in Tajikistan was officially launched. In addition to the Ombudsman Institution itself, the following UN agencies are part of the programme: OHCHR, UNDP, UNWomen, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF, IOM, UNFPA, International Labor Organization (ILO), and UNAIDS. The programme aims at strengthening the capacity of the NHRI of Tajikistan to handle complaints, to carry out education and public outreach activities, and to improve its partnership with key state actors and civil society organizations with a view to promoting changes in policy and legislation. The project also aims at increasing networking between Central Asian and CIS NHRIs. OHCHR Human Rights Adviser in Tajikistan acts as the coordinator of this program.. 6