National Human Rights Commissions

In many countries, special commissions have been established to ensure that the laws and regulations concerning the protection of human rights are effectively applied. Most commissions function independently from other organs of government, although they may be required to report to the legislature on a regular basis.

The UN has endorsed a minimum set of principles on the status of national institutions commonly known as the Paris Principles [1] that have become a foundation and reference point for the establishment and working of the National Human Rights Commissions.

Human rights commissions are concerned primarily with the protection of nationals against discrimination and with the protection of civil and other human rights. The precise functions and powers of a particular commission will be defined in the legislative act or decree under which it is established. The functions of the human rights commissions can include receiving and investigating complaints from individuals and occasionally from groups alleging human rights abuses. Another important function of a human rights commission is to systematically review the government's human rights policy in order to detect shortcomings in human rights observance and to suggest ways of improving it.

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1. These recommendations were endorsed by the Commission on Human Rights in March 1992 (resolution 1992/54) and by the UN General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/48/134 of 20 December 1993.