“Section 3 of the Law provides that not later than 1 April each year, the SIHR shall submit a report to the Government on its activities and its observations relating to developments in the field of human rights during the previous calendar year.

The SCA acknowledges that the SIHR has sent copies of its annual report to Parliament in 2023 and 2024, that these reports were also discussed in Parliament, and that it has extensively engaged on its reports with members of Parliament.

The SCA considers it important that the enabling law of an NHRI establish a process whereby its reports are required to be widely circulated, discussed and considered by the legislature. It is preferable for the NHRI to have an explicit power to table reports directly in the legislature, and in so doing, to promote action on them.

The SCA encourages the SIHR to continue to engage with Parliament on its annual and thematic reports and recommends that it advocate for amendments to its Law to explicitly establish a process whereby its reports are to be widely circulated, discussed and considered by the legislature.

The SCA refers to Paris Principle A.3 and to its General Observation 1.11 on ‘Annual reports of NHRIs.’”