Partners
GANHRI works closely with several UN agencies and CSOs on different thematic issues aiming to support and facilitate NHRIs fulfilling their mandates
UNHCR
GANHRI and NHRIs work strategically in partnership with UNHCR in many countries to enhance the protection of refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced and stateless persons.
GANHRI and UNHCR have launched the Guide on UNHCR’s engagement with NHRIs which provides an overview whereby UNHCR across all regions can concretely engage with NHRIs.
A Community of practice dedicated to UNHCR and NHRIs staff across all regions has also been set up, to facilitate discussion and the exchange of information on human rights of forcibly displaced and stateless persons and on the UNHCR-NHRIs cooperation.
The webinar “Protecting displaced and stateless persons: the role and experiences of NHRIs and opportunities for collaboration with UNHCR” showcased good practices of UNHCR-NHRI collaboration at local level, and discussed opportunities for such practices to be replicated.
UNEP
GANHRI and UNEP collaborate to implement the Outcome Statement on Climate Change and NHRIs adopted at the 2020 GANHRI Annual Conference, with a specific focus at building the institutional capacity of NHRIs in monitoring and reporting on human rights and climate change and in addressing other environmental issues. The collaboration also include the involvement of other UN partners, such us OHCHR and UNDP as well as UN experts and NHRIs. GANHRI also receives financial support from UNEP in the form of a project grant.
The objectives of this project are:
- Development of a global tool for NHRIs to assist monitoring and reporting on the human rights implications of climate change and other environmental issues;
- Organization of a series of webinars on the dissemination of the global tool to strengthen the monitoring and reporting capacity of NHRIs;
- Development of a community of practice and knowledge sharing platform on the environment as part of the GANHRI’s knowledge management platform;
- Organization of NHRIs activities around the COP26 in Glasgow.
UNFPA
GANHRI and UNFPA have collaborated in various occasion. In December 2020 they co-organized the event Launching of Primer: Conducting Public Inquiries to Eliminate Female Genital Mutilation to examine the role of NHRIs in promoting accountability for women and girls in the prevention and elimination of FGMs and to introduce the Primer for NHRIs in countries where female genital mutilation is prevalent.
In July 2020, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution that urged States to develop the capacity of NHRIs to investigate human rights violations related to FGM and monitor progress in preventing and eliminating it.
In order to guide this strategic ask the Primer provides a concise one-stop tool for planning and conducting a public inquiry on female genital mutilation.
The event focused in particular on the monitoring role of NHRIs, including through the roll-out of national inquiries as well as through their engagement with International Human Rights Mechanism, such as UN Treaty Body reviews and the Universal Periodic Review.
UNICEF
UNICEF believes that NHRIs must have the power to consider individual complaints and petitions and carry out investigations, including those submitted on behalf of or directly by children. NHRIs have the task to promote the fundamental human rights and inform the public about them.
In this sense, GANHRI and UNICEF developed a toolkit for NHRIs that provides a detailed guidance in relation to their promotion and outreach activities with and for children. It aims to:
- Provide a practical approach to promotion and outreach focused on long term, sustainable, strategies and processes.
- Review what a child rights approach means in this context, the types of activities NHRIs can carry out and the partnerships it can foster to do so.
- Build on the link between promotion and outreach and increased visibility of the institution.
- Provide practical examples from the field and also introduces a framework for helping NHRIs monitor and evaluate their promotion work.
OVRA
The Office of the Victims’ Rights Advocate (OVRA) has identified NHRIs as a strategic partner to fulfil its mandate to support victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations staff and related personnel.
Some NHRIs have cooperated with OVRA by passing on complaints received of sexual exploitation and abuse by the United Nations staff and military and other uniformed personnel.
GANHRI and OVRA jointly produced a guide for national human rights institutions to translate a victim-centred approach into practice and realise the rights of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.
A short promotional video on areas of collaboration for general dissemination communicate the areas of cooperation NHRIs could engage in to fill some of the current gaps in the provision of support to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.
