Solomon Islands sets sights on establishing NHRI
A regional delegation that included the APF recently visited the Pacific Island country to talk about the potential establishment of a national human rights institution.
Meeting with the Solomon Islands National Council of Women
Photo: Benjamin Lee
At the invitation of the Solomon Islands Government, a regional delegation recently visited the Pacific Island country to talk about the potential establishment of a national human rights institution (NHRI).
The delegation included representatives from the APF, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS).
During their week-long visit to Solomon Islands, the delegation met with a broad range of people, including senior Parliamentarians; heads of Government departments; the Commissioners of Police and Corrections; the Law Reform Commission; the Office of the Ombudsman; the Office of the Public Solicitor; the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; civil society organisations working for the rights of children, women, persons with disabilities and rural farmers; trade unions; the media; and representatives of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
The purpose of the meetings, which took place from 23 – 27 January 2012, was to collect people’s views on the establishment of a NHRI in Solomon Islands. Discussions focused on the value that a NHRI could bring, the roles that it could perform, how it could best complement and augment existing State institutions and fill gaps, and the type of NHRI most appropriate to Solomon Islands’ culture and its legal and political systems.
The delegation will prepare a comprehensive report on its consultations. The report will capture the views expressed by participants, which revealed broad Governmental and public support for the establishment of a NHRI in Solomon Islands.
It will also propose some concrete ‘next steps’ that the Government can take to advance the NHRI establishment process, with assistance from the APF, OHCHR and PIFS.
During its participation in the UN Universal Periodic Review mechanism in Geneva (May 2011), a number of countries recommended that Solomon Islands establish an independent NHRI in accordance with the Paris Principles. The Solomon Islands Government accepted these recommendations.
In April 2009, Government representatives from Solomon Islands and other Pacific Island countries took part in a regional workshop to examine pathways for establishing NHRIs.
Solomon Islands now joins Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu as Pacific Islands countries that have taken steps toward establishing a NHRI.
Date: 7 February 2012
