In October 2024, five ENNHRI members were assessed by the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) on their compliance with the UN Paris Principles. The Swedish NHRI was awarded A-status for the first time, while NHRIs in Armenia, Denmark, Georgia and Greece were all reaccredited with A-status.

Armenian NHRI

The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia was reaccredited with A-status. The SCA acknowledged the NHRI’s active engagement to publicly address key human rights issues in the country, including discrimination and the rights of women and LGBTQI people.

The SCA recommended the institution advocate for amendments to its enabling law that make explicit its mandate to promote human rights and encourage ratification and accession to international human rights instruments. Further, it recommended the NHRI advocate for amendments that would allow the Human Rights Defender’s term to be renewed only once.

Additionally, the SCA encouraged the Armenian NHRI to continue taking steps to ensure a pluralistic staff composition and advocating for an appropriate level of funding to be provided by the state. This would permit the employment and retention of staff with the requisite qualifications and experience to carry out its mandate effectively.

Finally, the SCA reiterated its recommendation that the NHRI continue to advocate for a clear, transparent, and participatory selection and appointment process for the Human Rights Defender.

Danish NHRI

The Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) was reaccredited with A-status. The SCA noted its efforts to address gender-based violence and the rights of migrants, stateless persons, and refugees. It encouraged the institution to continue implementing proactive strategies to counter retrogressive national policies.

The SCA recommended the NHRI continue advocating for its enabling law to include an explicit reference to its mandate to encourage ratification and accession to international human rights instruments alongside an independent and objective procedure for the removal of its Board members. The DIHR was also recommended to develop further binding guidance concerning the grounds and process for determining the existence of a conflict of interest for Board members.

Acknowledging that the DIHR indicated that functional immunity is not part of the national legal tradition, the SCA considered it preferable for functional immunity protections to be explicitly entrenched in NHRI legislation or another applicable law of general application. It encouraged the DIHR to advocate for legal protections for its Board members and staff from legal liability for actions taken in their official capacity.

Finally, concerning the DIHR’s mandate in Greenland, the SCA highlighted the importance for NHRIs mandated with additional responsibilities to be provided with the adequate funding to fulfil these duties effectively.

Georgian NHRI

The SCA reaccredited the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia with A-status and commended its efforts to act on its previous recommendations.

The SCA recognised the NHRI’s consistent advocacy that led to the Parliament adopting temporary measures on the selection and appointment process of an Ombudsman. Noting that these measures are no longer in place, the SCA encouraged the Georgian NHRI to continue to advocate for the formalisation of a clear, transparent, and participatory selection and appointment process for the Public Defender in relevant provisions.

The SCA acknowledged the wide array of promotion activities carried out by the Georgian NHRI, such as awareness raising, human rights education, and speaking publicly. This included on key human rights issues, such as discrimination, sexual harassment, LGBTQ+ rights, and restrictions to civic space and human rights defenders. It recommended the NHRI advocate for amendments to its enabling law to include an explicit mandate to promote human rights.

Greek NHRI

The Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR) was reaccredited with A-status. The SCA welcomed the Greek NHRI’s work on the rights of migrant workers, refugees, LGBTIQ+ persons, and monitoring places of detention.

The SCA encouraged the GNCHR to advocate for the formalisation of a clear, transparent, and participatory selection and appointment process. It also called on GNCHR to consider the policy and/or administrative options which would allow it to provide guidance to nominating entities about their selection processes and the requirements of the Paris Principles.

Additionally, to address the SCA’s previous recommendation, the Greek NHRI had amended its enabling law to include a full-time Director position. The SCA recommended the NHRI advocate for an amendment to ensure that the NHRI’s decision-making body includes full-time members with voting rights. It also encouraged the NHRI to advocate for amendments to provide limits on the term of office for members of the Commission.

Moreover, welcoming the consistent increase in funding to the institution, the SCA encouraged the Greek NHRI to continue its advocacy for an adequate level of funding to effectively and progressively carry out its mandate and to enable the recruitment and retention of staff with salaries and benefits comparable to civil servants discharging similar functions.

Swedish NHRI

The Swedish Institute for Human Rights (SIHR) established in 2022, achieved A-status accreditation during its first review.

Acknowledging that, in practice, the SIHR engages in activities to both promote and protect human rights, the SCA encouraged it to advocate to make this mandate explicit in its enabling law. The SCA recommended that the Swedish NHRI continue its engagement with the government and advocate for the formalisation of a clear, transparent, and participatory nomination, selection and appointment process.

The SCA recommended that the Swedish NHRI advocate for amendments to its enabling law to clarify the grounds, applicable process and safeguards for the dismissal of its Board members.

Moreover, recognising that the SIHR has established recruitment guidelines to ensure diversity among its staff and avoid discriminatory recruitment practices, the SCA encouraged the NHRI to take measures to ensure the broad representation of society in its staffing. This included in the context of gender, ethnicity, or minority status.

In addition, the SCA encouraged the Swedish NHRI to continue to advocate for a progressive increase in funding to ensure it is enabled to carry out the full breadth of its mandate. It also called on SIHR to engage with government on the way it processes and responds to the institute’s budget requests.

Acknowledging that the SIHR had indicated it carries out activities in all parts of Sweden, the SCA encouraged the SIHR to further strengthen its regional cooperation and engagement with diverse parts of society across all regions of the country.

Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation

The SCA recommended the removal of the accreditation status of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation. It cited deep concerns regarding a lack of independence and action to address serious human rights issues.

ENNHRI members voted to exclude the institution from the network in April 2023.

More information on the recent and the upcoming SCA session

ENNHRI offered tailored support to its members throughout the process and session. It remains available to assist members and national authorities in following up on SCA recommendations.

For full details on the outcomes and recommendations from the SCA’s October 2024 session, read the report.

In the next SCA session, the NHRIs in Estonia, Finland, and France will be assessed. ENNHRI stands ready to support all its members throughout the accreditation process.

Learn more on that accreditation support and read ENNHRI’s Practical Guide on the Accreditation of NHRIs.