Strong and effective national human rights institutions
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) recently published the report ”Strong and effective national human rights institutions – challenges, promising practices and opportunities”, which aims to contribute to the strengthening of the effectiveness and impact that national human rights institutions (NHRIs) have in the EU Member States. The report offers an overall perspective upon the status and roles such bodies have in the EU, as well asthe Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Serbia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, by exploring relevant developments from the last 10 years, challenges NHRIs face and ways to maximize their impact.
The report also presents a comparative analysis, highlighting the various factors that affect NHRIs’ independence, effectiveness and impact, as well as an analysis of the opportunities these bodies have in addressing challenges. It also outlines the roles of NHRIs in the EU and indicates promising practices and the potential for an extended engagement, which includes supporting monitoring of the rule of law and compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
The findings in this report emphasizes that, in order to fulfill their potential and reflect the diversity of the societies, NHRIs require a clear mandate, independence and adequate resources. Another important aspect highlighted in the report is the need to comply with the Paris Principles on the independence and effectiveness of the NHRIs, the way they were endorsed by the United Nations.
The European Union Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, which tackles the situation outside the EU borders, commits to support the NHRIs that comply with the UN principles, the perspectives presented in this report aiming to encourage the policymakers to stand up for NHRIs. At the same time, it is outlined the vital role NHRIs have in the national human rights protection system, by raising awareness, providing advice, monitoring and holding authorities to account, approaching both persistent concerns such as discrimination and inequality, and rising issues such as the implications of artificial intelligence and of the COVID-19 pandemic on human rights.
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