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The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), formerly known (prior to 2016) as the 'International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions' (sometimes shortened to the International Coordinating Committee (ICC)), is a global network of
national human rights institutions A national human rights institution (NHRI) is an independent state-based institution with the responsibility to broadly protect and promote human rights in a given country. The growth of such bodies has been encouraged by the Office of the United ...
(NHRIs) – administrative bodies set up to promote, protect and monitor
human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
in a given country. The GANHRI, whose full legal title is the "Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions", coordinates the relationship between NHRIs and the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
human rights system, and is unique as the only non-UN body whose internal
accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
system, based on compliance with the 1993 Paris Principles, grants access to UN committees. Institutions accredited by the Subcommittee for Accreditation (SCA) of the GANHRI with "A status", meaning full compliance with the Paris Principles, are usually accorded speaking rights and seating at human rights
treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal per ...
bodies and other UN organs, mainly to the
Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...
. The GANHRI representative often presents statements on behalf of individual NHRIs or the regional groups. The GANHRI is constituted as a
non-profit entity A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
under
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...
law, and has one member of staff representing it at the
United Nations Office at Geneva The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG, french: Office des Nations Unies à Genève) in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of the four major offices of the United Nations where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. The main UNOG ...
. Secretariat support is provided to the GANHRI by the National Institutions and Regional Mechanisms (NIRM) Unit of the Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division of the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nat ...
(OHCHR). Additional work devolves on the NHRI elected to chair the network, currently chaired since 2016 by Dr. Beate Rudolf from the German Institute for Human Rights, and on the regional chairs of the GANHRI's four regional networks. The GANHRI holds annual general meetings (usually in Geneva in March, coinciding with the UN Human Rights Council session) and a biennial thematic international
conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...
; the tenth conference, hosted in 2010 by the
Scottish Human Rights Commission The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) is the national human rights institution for Scotland. It was established by the Scottish Commission for Human Rights Act and started its work in 2008. The Commission is independent of the Scottish ...
, was on the theme of
business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separ ...
and human rights. The last International Conference to date was held in Merida (
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
) in October 2015 and focused on the
Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...
and on the topic of: "What Role for National Human Rights Institutions?"


The Sub-Committee on Accreditation
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The
peer review Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...
process for initial accreditation, and re-accreditation every five years, is managed by a subcommittee consisting of one A status NHRI representative from each of the regional networks. According to th
accreditation status document
released in December 2021, there were a total of 128 institutions that have been accredited by the GANHRI. 86 of those NHRIs were accredited with "A status" by the GANHRI, and are thus entitled to vote or hold office in the GANHRI or its regional groups; those with lower status (32 B status, meaning not fully compliant with the Paris Principles, and 10 of the now discontinued C status meaning not compliant) can only participate as observers. The SCA process examines NHRIs' legal, structural, and procedural independence. The designation and findings given to NHRIs through this peer- review process are used by governments to take such steps as may be necessary to obtain and retain A status as an indication of their compliance with national human rights and the rule of law. A status NHRIs are also afforded enhanced recognition and access by the UN to its human rights mechanisms in their own right, giving the SCA an exceptional status within the UN framework. This includes speaking rights before the Human Rights Council under Human Rights Council Resolution 16/21, UN Doc A/HRC/RES/16/21 (12 April 2011). Since 1998, and through the issuance of bi-annua
accreditation reports
since 2008, the SCA has made developed the understanding the Paris Principles by applying them to the actual situations of NHRIs. Since 2006, the SCA has publishe
General Observations
to elaborate on the contents of the Paris Principles. There are three forms of review by the Sub-Committee: First accreditation, periodic re-accreditation, or special review. All accredited NHRIs are expected to go through periodic re-accreditation. Failure to apply for re-accreditation may result in suspension of accreditation status. Applicants for first or periodic accreditation must submit a "statement of compliance with the Paris Principles".


GANHRI Statute

GANHRI (and previously the International Coordinating Committee) has had
statute
since 2008. The GANHRI statute sets its purpose as follows: " GANHRI is the global association of NHRIs which promotes and strengthens NHRIs to operate in line with the Paris Principles and provides leadership in the promotion and protection of human rights." (Article 5) A large portion of the Statute (Articles 10-23) deals with the accreditation of NHRIs by the Sub-Committee on Accreditation. The Statute also provides for the 4 regional NHRI groupings (Article 31), as well as for General Assemblies, votings and duties of members.


Regional groupings of NHRIs

*
Network of African National Human Rights Institutions The Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI) is one of four regional groupings within the global network, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions (GANHR ...
(NANHRI) *
Asia Pacific Forum The Asia Pacific Forum (APF) is one of four regional networks of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) within the International Co-ordinating Committee of NHRIs. The APF formerly accredited NHRIs for compliance with the United Nations' Par ...
of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) *
European Network of National Human Rights Institutions The European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) is a membership international not-for-profit association (AISBL) under Belgian law. In 2013 it established its Permanent Secretariat in Brussels bringing together National Human Rig ...
(ENNHRI) *
Network of National Institutions in the Americas The Network of National Institutions in the Americas is one of four regional groups of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) within the global network, the International Co-ordinating Committee of NHRIs (the ICC). The Americas group, which la ...


Working groups

* GANHRI Working Group on Business and Human Rights


References


External links

* * {{Twitter * Human rights organisations based in Switzerland International organisations based in Switzerland Organisations based in Geneva 1993 establishments in Switzerland