NHRIs share experiences and insights on accreditation process
National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) representatives, the OHCHR Secretariat, partners from UN agencies, states, and civil society organisations met for a dynamic Knowledge Exchange session on the NHRI accreditation process during the 2025 GANHRI Annual Meeting in Geneva.
Prior to the meeting, GANHRI and OHCHR’s National Institutions and Regional Mechanisms Section (NIRMS), servicing the GANHRI SCA as Secretariat, recently launched a comprehensive information flyer on the accreditation process, highlighting its objectives and procedures.
GANHRI, through the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA), is responsible for reviewing and accrediting NHRIs in compliance with the Paris Principles.
The session featured rich discussions on the significance, challenges, and impacts of the accreditation system that support and strengthens NHRIs worldwide.
Vladlen Stefanov, Chief of OHCHR-NIRMS and the SCA Secretariat, opened the session and highlighted the important support for the NHRI accreditation process made by the UN Human Rights Council in Resolution 57/23. “In the most recent session of the Human Rights Council, the biennial resolution was adopted, and for the first time, Member States have called for allocation of resources to the Human Rights Office to enhance the servicing of the sessions of the Sub-Committee,” he said.
The first panel of the Knowledge Exchange session, moderated by Gilbert Sebihogo of the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), featured insights from Meg de Ronde (SCA Chairperson, NHRI of New Zealand), Cynthia Radert (OHCHR-NIRMS), Jonathan Santana (NHRI of Panama), and Jodie Lindsay (Permanent Mission of Australia).
The SCA Chair emphasised the distinctive value of the NHRI accreditation process, citing its peer-review nature and collective approach as unique elements. She encouraged NHRIs to volunteer for the SCA to enhance the process, noting the rewarding experience of seeing up to 90 institutions during a three-year term.
The representative of Australia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, which co-sponsored resolution 57/23 along with Timor Leste, highlighted their leadership on the NHRI resolution, which secured resources for translation and interpretation services to further support the accreditation process. She explained that while there are four GANHRI languages—English, French, Spanish and Arabic—the accreditation process was previously conducted in English only. The additional resources will provide greater support to NHRIs in non-Anglophone regions.
During open discussions, NHRIs shared how accreditation recommendations have driven institutional improvements. The NHRI of Bolivia described how preparation for accreditation allowed them to improve their presentation of our NHRI before the SCA, resulting in A status accreditation.
The second panel of the Knowledge Exchange, moderated by Katharina Rose, GANHRI Geneva Representative, included perspectives from the NHRI of Honduras as well as from the Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA).
Civil society engagement in the accreditation process emerged as a key theme, with Quah Wei Vei of FORUM-ASIA noting, “the accreditation process spurs governments and NHRIs to introduce reforms to improve the performances of NHRIs.” She cited the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) as an example of an NHRI that had strengthening its effectiveness following accreditation review.
GANHRI’s Guidelines for Third Party Submissions to SCA provide information for civil society on how to provide specific, relevant, reliable, and concise input on an NHRI’s compliance with the Paris Principles during the accreditation process.
Several NHRIs highlighted the value of regional networks in supporting the accreditation process. Australia’s NHRI noted how important regional networks in supporting national institutions, emphasizing that the advice and guidance provided by these networks proved to be extremely important during reaccreditation.
Incoming GANHRI Chairperson Amina Bouayach concluded the session by highlighting two key points from the discussions: the importance of networks as part of this process and the need for active participation of all stakeholders, including civil society organizations, to further support the accreditation process at all its stages including follow up to recommendations.
In 2024, GANHRI launched the NHRI Accreditation Database to provide NHRIs with concrete guidance when preparing for accreditation or re-accreditation. This searchable online platform compiles all SCA recommendations since 2017, systematically organised according to the Paris Principles and General Observations.
Photo credits: Marion Loddo/GANHRI
