UNDP-OHCHR Toolkit

module overview

Chapter 1
Introducing National Human
Rights Institutions

Chapter 2
Models of NHRIs

Chapter 3
Roles and Responsabilities of
NHRIs

Chapter 4
The Rule of Law and the NHRI

Chapter 5
NHRIs, Development and
Democratic Governance

module overview

Chapter 6
Situating NHRI Support in the UN Planning & Programming Process

Chapter 7
Pre-establishment Phase of NHRIs

Chapter 8
Establishing NHRIs

Chapter 9
Consolidation Phase:
Strengthening the Mature NHRI

Chapter 10
Paris Principles and Accreditation

8.6.3.1 Capacity Development to engage with Treaty Bodies

There is some evidence to suggest that NHRIs require more resources to understand UN human rights treaty bodies and their work.

See OHCHR, Survey of National Human Rights Institutions: Report on the Findings and Recommendations of a Questionnaire Addressed to NHRIs Worldwide. 2009.

Existing international and national human rights instruments and mechanisms need to be better utilized and the UNCT can assist NHRIs to identify areas where the country has fallen short of internationally-agreed standards and to learn more about the system overall.17

The following checklist will help determine key areas of capacity to develop at the establishment stage:

The following checklist will help UNCTs support NHRIs in establishing capacity to engage with Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.

Table 5: NHRIs and Treaty Bodies18

Millennium Development Goal	Key Related Human Rights Standards
Reporting Drafting accompanying reports or comments in connection with the reports that States are required to submit to UN bodies.	Build a KM system to collect information about gaps and weaknesses in rights protection.
	Establish a process for the NHRI to provide information to the secretariat of the particular Treaty Body for the drafting of the List of Issues.
	Plan for NHRIs to make presentations in treaty body pre-sessional working groups.
	Establish a liaison with the ICC representative in Geneva to address treaty bodies on its behalf (only for A-status NHRIs).
Follow-up	Create a system to monitor the effective implementation by the Government of the concluding observations and recommendations of treaty bodies and provide guidance on possible courses of action.
	Create a system to support and host follow up meetings to concluding observations and recommendations of treaty bodies intended for the Government, Parliament, public authorities, and civil society.
	The NHRI should engage with Government, Parliament and other public authorities regarding the implementation of concluding observations and recommendations.
	Where possible, institute programmes and activities based on observations and recommendations.
Petitions/Enquiry procedure	Create an internal process to facilitate or assist victims' petitions to treaty bodies.
International Human Rights instruments	Ensure training on state ratification of relevant instruments, as well as reservations and implementation gaps following views and recommendations expressed by treaty bodies.
	Establish a programme to publicise / disseminate information about international human rights instruments.
	Establish education campaigns for advocacy and for governments, Parliament, and stakeholders regarding international instruments.
Training	Establish a programme to train state officials regarding reporting procedures, collection of data that is required for reports and other relevant issues relating to the reporting process.