International Standards

In 1991 the United Nations hosted a meeting in Paris involving representatives of national human rights institutions from around the world. The aim of the meeting was to develop a comprehensive set of principles to guide the establishment and operation of national human rights institutions.

The ‘Principles Relating to the Status and Functions of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights’ – commonly known as the ‘Paris Principles’ – set out the minimum standards required by national human rights institutions to effectively fulfil their role.

The Paris Principles, which have been endorsed by the UN Commission on Human Rights (Resolution 1992/54 of 3 March 1992) and the UN General Assembly (Resolution 48/134 of 20 December 1993, annex), describe the roles and responsibilities of national human rights institutions, how they should operate, their composition and their fundamental requirement of independence and pluralism.

The Paris Principles require that a national human rights institution has:

• a clearly defined and broad-based mandate, based on universal human rights standards

• independence guaranteed by legislation or the constitution

• autonomy from government

• pluralism, including membership that broadly reflects the society

• adequate powers of investigation; and

• sufficient resources.

The Paris Principles form the basis for accreditation of national human rights institutions at the international level by the International Coordinating Committee. The outcome of the accreditation process determines whether a national human rights institution can participate in the regular sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

APF members are categorised according to their compliance with the Paris Principles. To obtain full membership of the APF a national human rights institution must fully comply with the Paris Principles. National human rights institutions not in compliance with the Paris Principles may be granted candidate or associate membership of the APF.