“The enabling law is silent on the HRDA’s mandate to encourage ratification and/or accession to international human rights instruments. In practice, the HRDA has encouraged the ratification of regional and international human rights instruments such as the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being regarding the Application of Biology Medicine (Oviedo Convention), the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) and the United Nations International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.

The SCA notes that the proposed amendments to the Law on the HRDA include language explicitly mandating the HRDA to encourage ratification of and accession to international human rights instruments.

The SCA highlights that encouraging ratification of, or accession to, regional and international human rights instruments, as well as monitoring the effective implementation of those instruments to which the state is a party, is a vital function of an NHRI.

The SCA encourages the HRDA to continue interpreting its mandate in a broad manner and advocating for an express mandate to encourage ratification and accession to international human rights instruments, including through the proposed amendments to the Law on the HRDA.

The SCA refers to Paris Principle A.3 (b) and (c) and to its General Observation 1.3 on ‘Encouraging ratification or accession to international human rights instruments’.”