“The SCA acknowledges that the NHRC’s budget has been unchanged partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NHRC reports that the level of funding is insufficient to meet its human resources needs, including the recruitment of additional staff working on substantive issues.

The SCA emphasizes that, to function effectively, an NHRI must be provided with an appropriate level of funding in order to guarantee its independence and its ability to freely determine its priorities and activities. It must also have the power to allocate funding according to its priorities. In particular, adequate funding should, to a reasonable degree, ensure the gradual and progressive realization of the improvement of the NHRI’s operations and the fulfilment of its mandate, including salaries and benefits awarded to its staff comparable to those of civil servants performing similar tasks in other independent institutions of the State.

The SCA encourages the NHRC to continue to advocate for adequate funding, including to ensure the recruitment of a sufficient number of staff.”