7.5.5 Providing budget support for core costs and wages

Should the UNCT plan to supplement or pay wages of NHRIs staff, or even members?

The ICC Sub-committee has noted that funding from external sources, such as from development partners, should not compose the core funding of the NHRI as it is the responsibility of the state to ensure the NHRI’s minimum activity budget in order to allow it to operate towards fulfilling its mandate.5 In this regard, NHRI salaries in particular are a State responsibility and supplements provided by donors would, in any case, end once the project ends.

There is a view in some circumstances that supplements are necessary to ensure that the institution can attract and retain quality members and staff at the outset and buys time during which more suitable, long-term corrections can be made either legislatively or administratively.

There are insufficient reliable studies on the relative merits of the two schools of thought to come to a determination as to which is best. That being said and noting that there will be exceptions, as a rule, UN should not be required to supplement public service wages beyond the short to medium term.

5 ICC Sub-Committee on Accreditation General Observations (Geneva, June 2009).