ODIHR and other global and regional bodies express support for strong and independent national human rights institutions in the OSCE region

Strong and independent national human rights institutions (NHRIs) act as a cornerstone of national human rights protection systems and as a bridge between the government and civil society, and they play a vital role in times when human rights and fundamental freedoms are under threat, a statement issued on 19 December 2016 by five global and regional bodies engaged in the protection of human rights said.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council of Europe, the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) and the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) acknowledged the challenges faced by NHRIs across the OSCE region regarding their independence and stressed that a strong and independent NHRI is a necessary feature of any state, underpinning good governance, justice and human rights.

The statement underlined that, whenever necessary, NHRIs are designed to be critical partners of their governments while enabling them to take all appropriate action to implement international human rights obligations at the national level.

The statement is one of the outcomes of an expert meeting on strengthening the independence of NHRIs jointly organized by the aforementioned international organizations and the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in Poland and hosted by ODIHR on 28 and 29 November in Warsaw. Participants reviewed specific aspects of international standards related to guarantees of independence and pluralism of NHRIs (the “Paris Principles”), identified good practices, lessons learned and future actions to provide sustainable operational guidance for NHRIs across the OSCE region.