National human rights institutions meet for ICC 22

National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from around the world have travelled to Geneva for the 22nd meeting of the International Coordinating Committee of NHRIs.

The meeting, held between 23 and 27 March, considered a wide range of issues, including:

• amendments to the ICC Statute arising from discussions in Nairobi in 2008
• the November report of the ICC Sub-Committee on Accreditation
• the creation of a Working Group on Human Rights and Business
• the upcoming Durban Review Conference, and
• outcomes from the recent Commission on the Status of Women held in New York this month.

The ICC 22 Conference Documents are available at www.nhri.net.

The meeting also coincided with the 10th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, providing an opportunity for ‘A-status’ NHRIs to participate in related events and raise issues of concern.

The APF, as coordinating body for the region’s 17 member NHRIs, has a particular focus on promoting implementation of the new Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 December 2006, this is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century.

It is of particular interest to NHRIs because Article 33 requires that when designating or establishing a monitoring mechanism, a State Party should take into account the Paris Principles.

The APF spoke on this issue at the Human Right Council, calling for the rules of procedure of the new Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to recognise the important role played by NHRIs and facilitate their engagement with the Committee.

The APF also delivered a statement to the Interactive Panel Dialogue on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 6 March recommending the development of a formal relationship between the Committee and national human rights institutions.

In its statement, the APF noted that “[t]his would be best achieved by identifying the roles to be performed by national institutions in the Committee’s work, and the types and forms of interaction and collaboration to be shared by the Committee and national institutions.

“Further, as the experience of other treaty bodies demonstrates, national institutions can play a key role in all aspects of the Committee’s work, including the State reporting process, the handling of individual complaints, and inquiry procedures.”

The APF concluded by saying that “[w]e view the formalisation of the relationship between the Committee and national human rights institutions not only as a means of enhancing awareness of and advancing compliance with the Convention, but as a significant and compelling step towards the harmonisation of treaty body practices with national institutions.”