In accordance with Article 6 of the Law, proposals for candidates for the position of Commissioner are made by the Chairman of the Parliament or by at least one-fourth (1/4) of the People’s Deputies. 

The SCA notes that the process currently enshrined in the Law is not sufficiently broad and transparent. A clear, transparent and participatory selection and appointment process for membership of the NHRI’s decision-making body must be included in relevant legislation, regulations or binding administrative guidelines, as appropriate. A process that promotes merit-based selection and ensures pluralism is necessary to ensure the independence of, and public confidence in, the senior leadership of an NHRI. 

The SCA acknowledges the activities of the UPCHR for relevant amendments to its law and reiterates its recommendation for the NHRI to continue to advocate for the formalization of a process that includes requirements to: 

publicise vacancies broadly; 

promote broad consultation and / or participation in the application, screening, selection and appointment process and; 

assess applicants on the basis of pre-determined, objective and publicly available criteria. 

The SCA refers to Paris Principle B.1 and to its General Observation 1.8 on ‘Selection and appointment of the decision-making body of NHRIs’.