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NHRIs set for accreditation session

Graphic: APF members attend global NHRI meeting in Geneva

Two APF members will be among 17 NHRIs to participate in the next accreditation session of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions.


Two APF members – Australia and India – will be among 17 national human rights institutions to participate in the next accreditation session of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).

A national human rights institution is reviewed by the GANHRI's Sub-Committee on Accreditation when:

  • It applies for initial accreditation
  • It applies for re-accreditation every five years
  • The circumstances of the NHRI change in any way that may affect its compliance with the Paris Principles.

The role of the Sub-Committee is to determine the compliance of NHRIs with the international standards set out in the Paris Principles.

"A status" NHRIs are able to participate independently at the UN Nations Human Rights Council and its subsidiary bodies. Those in the Asia Pacific region are eligible for full membership of the APF, while "B status" institutions are eligible for associate membership of the APF.

The upcoming accreditation session, to be held in Geneva from 14-18 November 2016, will involve the following NHRIs:

  • Reaccreditation: Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, India, Mauritania, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia
  • Deferral: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Egypt (deferred to first session in 2017), Jordan and Malawi
  • Special Review: Burundi

The ICC accreditation process is a peer-based review, undertaken by representatives of NHRIs from each of the four regions: Africa, Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe.

The APF secretariat is able to attend the meeting as an observer, along with the regional coordinating bodies of NHRIs from Africa, the Americas and Europe.

The report of the May 2016 accreditation session will be released in early August 2016.

Three APF members participated in this session: Samoa (seeking accreditation), New Zealand (seeking reaccreditation) and Korea (seeking reaccreditation).

Another NHRI from the Asia Pacific region – Bahrain's National Institution for Human Rights – was seeking accreditation.

The outcomes from this accreditation session will published on the APF website as soon as they are made public.

Date: 26 July 2016


Image credits

  1. APF members attend global NHRI meeting in Geneva - APF/Michael Power