National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

A/RES/72/181View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 72bHuman rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, published in 2017.

What other versions does this mandate have?

20 versions · 1979–2018

2018A/RES/72/181National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rightsLatestCompare with previous version
2016A/RES/70/163National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rightsCompare with previous version
2016A/HRC/RES/33/15National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rightsCompare with previous version
2014A/RES/68/171National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rightsCompare with previous version
2014A/HRC/RES/27/18National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rightsCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 topics

Human Rights Advancement Human Rights Institutions Human Rights Violations Institution Building

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2019.

2019A/74/226National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

30 operative paragraphs

Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General;

Reaffirms the importance of the development of effective, independent and pluralistic national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, in accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles);2

Recognizes the role of independent national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights in working together with Governments to ensure full respect for human rights at the national level, including by contributing to follow-up actions, as appropriate, to the recommendations resulting from the international human rights mechanisms;

Welcomes the increasingly important role of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights in supporting cooperation between their Governments and the United Nations in the promotion and protection of human rights;

Underlines the value of national human rights institutions, established and operating in accordance with the Paris Principles, in the continued monitoring of existing legislation and in consistently informing the State about the impact of such legislation on the activities of human rights defenders, including by making relevant and concrete recommendations;

Recognizes the role that national human rights institutions can play in preventing and addressing cases of reprisals as part of supporting the cooperation between their Governments and the United Nations in the promotion of human rights, including by contributing to follow-up actions, as appropriate, to recommendations made by international human rights mechanisms;

Also recognizes that, in accordance with the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action,3 it is the right of each State to choose the framework for national institutions that is best suited to its particular needs at the national level in order to promote human rights in accordance with international human rights standards;

Encourages Member States to establish effective, independent and pluralistic national institutions or, where they already exist, to strengthen them for the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, as outlined in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action;

Welcomes the growing number of States establishing or considering the establishment of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, and welcomes in particular the growing number of States that have accepted recommendations to establish national institutions compliant with the Paris Principles made through the universal periodic review and, where relevant, by treaty bodies and special procedures;

Encourages national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights established by Member States to continue to play an active role in preventing and combating all violations of human rights as enumerated in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and relevant international human rights instruments;

Stresses that national human rights institutions and their respective members and staff should not face any form of reprisal or intimidation, including political pressure, physical intimidation, harassment or unjustifiable budgetary limitations, as a result of activities undertaken in accordance with their respective mandates, including when taking up individual cases or when reporting on serious or systematic violations in their countries, and calls upon States to promptly and thoroughly investigate cases of alleged reprisal or intimidation against members or staff of national human rights institutions or against individuals who cooperate or seek to cooperate with them;

Recognizes the role played by national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Human Rights Council, including its universal periodic review mechanism, in both preparation and follow-up, and the special procedures, as well as in the human rights treaty bodies, in accordance with Council resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 of 18 June 2007 and Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/74 of 20 April 2005;

Welcomes the strengthening of opportunities for national human rights institutions compliant with the Paris Principles to contribute to the work of the Human Rights Council, as stipulated in the Council review outcome document annexed to Council resolution 16/21 of 25 March 2011 adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 65/281 of 17 June 2011, and encourages and welcomes the increasing use made by national human rights institutions of these participatory opportunities;

Also welcomes the contribution of national human rights institutions compliant with the Paris Principles to the work of the United Nations, including of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing and the intergovernmental process of the General Assembly on strengthening and enhancing the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system;

Encourages national human rights institutions compliant with the Paris Principles to continue to participate in and to contribute to deliberations in all relevant United Nations mechanisms and processes in accordance with their respective mandates, including the discussions on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

Encourages all relevant United Nations mechanisms and processes, in accordance with their respective mandates, including the Commission on the Status of Women, the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the high-level political forum on sustainable development, to further enhance the participation of national human rights institutions compliant with the Paris Principles and to allow for their contribution to these United Nations mechanisms and processes, bearing in mind the relevant provisions dealing with their participation contained in General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1, 5/2 and 16/21 and Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/74;

Encourages all other relevant United Nations forums and meetings, in accordance with their respective mandates, existing rules of procedure and modalities, to provide for the engagement of national human rights institutions compliant with the Paris Principles and to allow for their contribution to these forums and meetings;

Invites the human rights treaty bodies, within their respective mandates and in accordance with the treaties establishing these mechanisms, to provide for ways to ensure the effective and enhanced participation by national human rights institutions compliant with the Paris Principles at all relevant stages of their work;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide support to national human rights institutions compliant with the Paris Principles as they engage with relevant United Nations mechanisms and processes, with full respect for their respective mandates, and with a view to enabling their most effective contributions, in order to further the implementation of international human rights obligations and commitments;

Encourages all United Nations human rights mechanisms and relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to work, within their respective mandates, with Member States and national institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights with respect to, inter alia, projects in the area of good governance and the rule of law, welcomes in this regard the efforts made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to develop partnerships in support of national institutions, including the tripartite partnership between the United Nations Development Programme, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, and in this respect encourages all United Nations human rights mechanisms and relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to enhance their interaction with national human rights institutions, including by facilitating their access to relevant information and documentation;

Stresses the importance of the financial and administrative independence and stability of national human rights institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, and notes with satisfaction the efforts of those States that have provided their national institutions with more autonomy and independence, including by giving them an investigative role or enhancing such a role, and encourages other Governments to consider taking similar steps;

Urges the Secretary-General to continue to give high priority to requests from Member States for assistance in the establishment and strengthening of national human rights institutions;

Underlines the importance of the autonomy and independence of ombudsman institutions, encourages increased cooperation between national human rights institutions and regional and international associations of ombudsmen, and also encourages ombudsman institutions to actively draw on the standards enumerated in international instruments and the Paris Principles to strengthen their independence and increase their capacity to act as national human rights protection mechanisms;

Commends the high priority given by the Office of the High Commissioner to work on national human rights institutions, encourages the High Commissioner, in view of the expanded activities relating to national institutions, to ensure that appropriate arrangements are made and budgetary resources provided to continue and further extend activities in support of national institutions, and invites Governments to contribute additional voluntary funds to that end;

Welcomes the important role played by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, in close cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner, in assisting Governments, when requested, in the establishment and strengthening of national human rights institutions in accordance with the Paris Principles, in assessing the conformity of national human rights institutions with the Paris Principles and in providing technical assistance to strengthen national human rights institutions, upon request, with a view to enhancing their compliance with the Paris Principles, and calls upon Member States and other stakeholders, including United Nations agencies, to follow up on the recommendations of the Subcommittee on Accreditation of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, with a view to enabling national human rights institutions to fully comply with the Paris Principles in both law and practice;

Encourages national institutions, including ombudsman and mediator institutions, to seek accreditation status through the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions;

Encourages all Member States to take appropriate steps to promote the exchange of information and experience concerning the establishment and effective operation of national human rights institutions and to support the work of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and its regional coordinating networks in this regard, including through support for the relevant technical assistance programmes of the Office of the High Commissioner;

Calls upon the Secretary-General to continue to encourage national human rights institutions to interact with and advocate independent participation in all relevant United Nations mechanisms and processes, in accordance with their respective mandates, existing rules of procedure and modalities;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide the assistance necessary for holding international and regional meetings of national institutions, including meetings of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, in cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner;

Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

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Who created this mandate?

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What does this mandate say?

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