The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted a milestone Recommendation on developing and strengthening NHRIs. This fleshes out a series of principles that Member States are encouraged to implement in law and practice, including:

1. providing a firm legal basis for NHRIs, preferably at constitutional level;
2. ensuring adequate access to information and to policymakers and involvement in all stages of legislation and policymaking with human rights implications;
3. implementing NHRI recommendations and making it a legal obligation to provide a timely and reasoned reply;
4. fostering awareness and cooperation of all relevant public authorities in relation to the mandate, independence and role of NHRIs;
5. and protecting NHRIs against threats and intimidation and respecting confidential information collected by NHRIs.