National human rights institutions’ vital role in focus of ODIHR and ENNHRI event

National human rights institutions (NHRIs) are vital to protect rights and uphold democratic standards, serving as independent watchdogs and a bridge between governments and civil society said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) at a Warsaw Human Dimension Conference side event today.

However, NHRIs face challenges that undermine their effectiveness. Limited resources, political pressure, misinformation, the increasing deprioritisation of human rights, and shrinking civic space in the OSCE region, all prevent NHRIs from fulfilling their human rights mandates, participants agreed.

“While NHRIs are recognised for their important work in upholding human rights, democracy and rule of law and called upon by states and regional actors to carry out their crucial work, they are also increasingly facing challenges to fulfil their mandate to promote and protect human rights,” said Tobias Rahm, Senior Advisor at the Swedish Institute for Human Rights and member of the ENNHRI Expert Group on NHRI Standards.

The added value of NHRIs in advancing human rights protection and the importance of meaningful cooperation with state authorities was highlighted, as well as the need to strengthen the resilience and independence of NHRIs across the OSCE region.