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CREATING AND SUPPORTING AN INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE
National human rights institutions (NHRIs)
Over the past 20 years, there has been growing awareness of the need to strengthen, at
the national level, concerted action aimed at implementing and ensuring compliance with
human rights standards. One of the means used to that end has been the establishment
of national human rights institutions (NHRIs). While the term covers a range of bodies
whose legal status, composition, structure, functions and mandates vary, all such bodies
are set up by Governments to operate independently -- like the judiciary -- with a view to
promoting and protecting human rights.
NHRIs, often called human rights commissions, should have the capacity and author-
ity to:
·
Submit recommendations, proposals and reports to the Government or parliament on
any matter relating to human rights;
·
Promote the conformity of national laws and practices with international standards;
·
Receive and act upon individual or group complaints of human rights violations;
·
Encourage the ratifi cation and implementation of international human rights standards
and contribute to reporting procedures under international human rights treaties;
Countries that have established national human rights institutions
Countries with national institutions accredited by the International Coordinating
Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights:
Asia and the Pacifi c: Australia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal,
New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Th
ailand
Africa:
Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger,
Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Uganda
Americas:
Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela
Europe:
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece,
Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden
Others:
Asia and the Pacifi c: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China,
Islamic Republic of Iran
Africa:
Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Madagascar, Namibia, United Republic of
Tanzania, Zambia
Americas:
Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados
Europe:
Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Russian Federation, Slovakia,
Slovenia and United Kingdom
Box 43
Box 43