“The SCA notes that the CNDH has not submitted parallel reports to treaty bodies since its establishment in 2015, namely to the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Rights of the Child during periodic review of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The SCA notes that the CNDH is preparing a parallel report as part of the third cycle of the UPR.

The SCA recognizes that monitoring and engaging with the international human rights system, in particular the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms (Special Procedures and Universal Periodic Review) and the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies, can be an effective tool for NHRIs in the promotion and protection of human rights domestically.

The SCA highlights that effective engagement with the international human rights system may include:

– submitting parallel or shadow reports to the UPR, Special Procedures mechanisms and treaty bodies;

– making statements during debates before review bodies and the Human Rights Council;

– assisting, facilitating and participating in country visits by United Nations experts, including special procedures mandate holders, treaty bodies, fact-finding missions and commissions of inquiry; and

– monitoring and promoting the implementation of relevant recommendations originating from the human rights system.

In considering their engagement with the international human rights system, the CNDH is encouraged to actively engage with the OHCHR, GANHRI, NANHRI and other NHRIs, as well as international and national NGOs and civil society organizations.”