Chief, National Institutions, Regional Mechanisms and Civil Society Section

STATEMENT

by Vladlen Stefanov

Fields Operations and Technical Cooperation Division

UN OHCHR

ICC Bureau meeting

6-7 October 2015

Merida, Mexico

Distinguished Chairperson Adv. Mushwana,

Distinguished ICC Bureau members,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to address you today at the ICC Bureau meeting on the activities undertaken by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish and strengthen national human rights institutions and to serve as the ICC Secretariat.

From September 2014 to August 2015, OHCHR continued to provide advice and assistance to strengthen NHRIs in 66 countries, and contributed to the establishment of NHRIs in 12 countries. OHCHR supported several NHRIs facing threats and reprisals as they implemented their mandate[1]. In each case, the High Commissioner called upon States to respect the independence of the institution while conducting its functions, and to investigate the reprisals.

As the Secretariat of the ICC, OHCHR facilitated and provided support to the 28th Annual General meeting of the ICC, held in March 2015 in Geneva.In October 2014 and March 2015, OHCHR provided secretariat support to the meetings of the Sub-Committee on Accreditation. As of May 2015, 72 NHRIs are accredited with “A status”, compared to 69 institutions in May 2013. As the Secretary-General mentioned in its report to the Human Rights Council, “the role of OHCHR in acting as secretariat for the Subcommittee and in the holding of the Subcommittee’s meetings under its auspices, enhances the credibility of the accreditation process before the international and regional human rights systems. The presence of OHCHR during the decision-making process is instrumental to attesting the compliance of this process with the established rules of procedure, and contributes to its transparency, fairness and rigour”.

The 5th annual meeting of the Tripartite Partnership between the ICC, UNDP and OHCHR took place in June 2015, in New York. The partnership aims at increasing cooperation among the parties towards better coordinating and leveraging knowledge, expertise and capacity to strengthen NHRIs. On 12 June 2015, UNDP, OHCHR and the ICChosted the third annual seminar series on NHRIs at the United Nations Office in New York. This seminar focused on good practices and challenges of NHRIs participation in the international human rights system including General Assembly mechanisms.

OHCHR, in coordination with the ICC, continued to support the engagement of NHRIs with the UN Human Rights Council and its mechanisms. During the 28th and 29th session of the Human Rights Council, 45 written statements and 46 oral statements were made by NHRIs.21 of these statements were video recorded.

NHRIs continued to actively engage with the UPR. From September 2014 to August 2015, 12 “A status” institutions and 5 non-accredited institutions submitted written stakeholders’ contributions on the situation of human rights in their countries.

OHCHR continued to support the participation of NHRIs in treaty bodies’ sessions, encouraging them to provide written or oral information and to attend sessions. From September 2014 to August 2015, 35 institutions submitted written reports, 34 made oral briefings and 28 attended sessions of treaty bodies. NHRIs also participated throughvideo conferences, particularly in the proceedings of the Human Rights Committee. OHCHR disseminated relevant recommendations and concluding observations to the institutions concerned.

As you are aware, one of the main highlights of the period between the present Bureau meeting and the previous one in March in Geneva was the drafting and submission to the UN General Assembly of the SG report on NHRIs. It will be considered by the Assembly at its 70th session this fall in New York. As requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 68/171, a section in the report was dedicated to the participation of NHRIs, its regional networks and the ICC in relevant NY-based bodies and processes. As some of you in this room remember, this part of the report was the main subject of discussions during a number of meetings that the ICC delegation had last summer in New York with the EOSG and several UN departments and offices. The report was published in all 6 official UN languages last week and is now available on both the UN and the ICC websites. I cannot overestimate the importance of the extensive consultation and the cooperative effort among the main stakeholders, including the ICC, during the drafting exercise.

According to the report, NHRIs have participated in a range of inter-governmental processes under the auspices of the GeneralAssembly. For instance, the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the 69th session of the General Assembly (the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples) in 2014, benefitted from the participation of NHRIs, and the outcome documents of these events specifically acknowledge their role and contributions.

NHRIs also engaged in General Assembly processes in the elaboration of the Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities. Through the ICC, they had their own speaking slot under each agenda item and contributed to all stages of the drafting process. Their role was formally recognised and welcomed by the General Assembly and the Ad Hoc Committee mandated to draft the Convention. Their participation is clearly reflected in article 33 of the Convention on national implementation and monitoring.

Additionally, in his report, the Secretary General has welcomed the engagement of NHRIs with the Commission on the Status of Women, while the General Assembly and Human Rights Council have regularly called for the participation of such institutions in the work of the Commission.

The report contains a number of important conclusions and recommendations which, we hope, will find their way to the GA resolution to be adopted by the 70th session and to other important UN policy documents, rules of procedures and protocols of the United Nations.

For instance, the SG recommended that participation of national human rights institutions fully compliant with the Paris Principles, as well as their coordinating bodies, in New York based bodies should be considered, on the basis of the modalities for national institutions’ participation in the Human Rights Council. Several NY-based bodies and processes have been named by the SG, including:

the General Assembly and its subsidiary bodies and working groups;
the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies and working groups, including the Commission on the Status of Women, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the processes related to the post-2015 sustainable development goals;
conferences of States parties to human rights treaties, particularly the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Each of the relevant United Nations processes and mechanisms has been asked to develop their own modalities for the effective and independent participation of institutions compliant with the Paris Principles.

The SG has also urged national human rights institutions to continue to advocate their independent participation in relevant United Nations mechanisms and processes, including the post-2015 agenda. He has asked United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to adopt suitable practical modalities of interaction with national human rights institutions, including facilitating their access to information and documentation. In the report, conferences of States parties to human rights treaties and treaty monitoring bodies were also requested to harmonize their working methods to ensure the highest degree of participation by national human rights institutions at all stages of their work.

I hope that we will continue to discuss and consult on the best ways and means to put into practice the recommendations of the SG report. Several of the agenda items of this Bureau meetingare relevant for such a discussion.

I thank you and wish you a fruitful meeting.

[1]Australia; Kyrgyzstan; Libya; Maldives; Serbia and Ukraine.