4/92 Process currently utilized by the International Coordinating Committee to accredit national human rights institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles and ensure that the process is strengthened with appropriate periodic review and on ways and means of enhancing participation of national human rights institutions in the work of the Commission - Report of the Secretary-General

UNITED NATIONS

A

General Assembly Distr. GENERAL

A/HRC/4/92 23 January 2007

Original: ENGLISH

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fourth session Item 2 of the provisional agenda

IMPLEMENTATION OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 60/251 OF 15 MARCH 2006 ENTITLED “HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL”

Process currently utilized by the International Coordinating Committee to accredit national human rights institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles and ensure that the process is strengthened with appropriate periodic review and on ways and means of enhancing participation of national human rights institutions in the work of the Commission

Report of the Secretary-General

1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council decision 2/102, in which the Council decided to request the High Commissioner for Human Rights to “continue with the fulfilment of her activities, in accordance with all previous decisions adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and to update the relevant reports and studies”.

2 The present report outlines the progress achieved since the last report to the sixty-second session of the Commission on Human Rights entitled “Effective functioning of Human Rights Mechanisms: National Institutions and Regional Arrangements” (E/CN.4/2006/102). This report detailed the process currently utilized by the International Coordinating Committee of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (ICC) to accredit national human rights institutions (NHRIs) as being in compliance with the Principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles) (General Assembly resolution 48/134, annex).

GE.07-10432 (E) 300107

3. The last report detailed steps taken toward a more active participation of NHRIs in the sessions of the Human Rights Council,1 provided an overview of the ICC accreditation process, described the composition and work of the ICC Sub-Committee on Accreditation, and discussed the proposal for a regular reassessment of NHRIs accredited as Paris Principles compliant to be considered at the next session of ICC.

4. In accordance with the recommendations of the seventeenth session of ICC in April 2006, it was agreed to commence a process of review of NHRIs accredited as being compliant with the Paris Principles. NHRIs accredited with A status, being those found by ICC to be compliant with the Paris Principles, are to have their accreditation status reviewed every five years. The process commenced in October 2006. The proposed schedule for re-accreditation adopted at the seventeenth session is attached as an annex to the present report. It was also agreed that there would be a continuous review of accreditation of NHRIs every five years from the time of that NHRI’s initial accreditation.

5. The first round of re-accreditation reviews were undertaken at the eighteenth session of ICC, held in Bolivia on 27 October 2006. NHRIs in the following countries were reaccredited as status A members of ICC: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, India, Mexico, New Zealand and Panama. Cameroon NHRI was granted accreditation status B. At the request of the French National Commission on Human Rights, the Sub-Committee agreed to defer consideration of this re-accreditation application to the next session, due to the fact that a bill to amend the enabling legislation of the Commission was being negotiated.

6. Also at the seventeenth session of ICC, ICC Sub-Committee on Accreditation was requested to prepare a paper to enhance the working methods and accreditation procedures of ICC. A paper was presented to the members of ICC at the eighteenth session for further consideration. Proposals for amendment will be considered at the next session of ICC in March 2007.

7. Only NHRIs accredited to ICC as being Paris Principle compliant, and ICC, have speaking rights before the Human Rights Council. A rigorous system of accreditation and a regular process of review therefore help to ensure the credibility of NHRIs speaking before the Council.

1 See also the report of the Secretary-General on enhancing the participation of human rights

institutions in the work of the Commission submitted to the sixty-first session (E/CN.4/2005/107).

Annex

PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR CONSIDERATION OF NHRI AS PART OF RE-ACCREDITATION PROCESS

Session 1 October 2006

Session 2 First half 2007

Session 3 Second half 2007

Session 4 First half 2008

Session 5 Second half 2008

Argentina Peru Senegal Uganda Germany Australia The Philippines South Africa Ecuador Ghana Cameroon Portugal Spain Guatemala Mongolia Canada Poland Sri Lanka Luxembourg Paraguay Costa Rica Sweden Togo Malaysia Albania France Bolivia Colombia Mauritius Bosnia and

Herzegovina India Honduras Denmark Nepal Kenya Mexico Indonesia Greece Niger Ireland New Zealand Fiji Morocco Venezuela Republic of Korea Panama Malawi Rwanda Algeria Thailand Nigeria

All of the above were accredited as compliant as at 4 April 2006.

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