National Human Rights Institutions Rules, Requirements, and Practice

National Human Rights Institutions: Rules, Requirements, and Practice is an authoritative guide to National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) in their important role as promoters and protectors of human rights at the national level. This book serves as both the first ever 'casebook' on the findings of the SCA, as well as a comprehensive reference for the requirements for compliance of NHRIs with the Paris Principles, and is a vital source of information on the actual practice of NHRIs. Since its earliest assessments of NHRIs in 1998, the Global Alliance of NHRIs' (GANHRI) Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) has developed a substantive body of work that has examined the operation and practice of over 128 institutions in countries and territories from every part of the globe. Analysed and catalogued in their entirety into an accessible format for the first time, and covering all aspects of NHRIs' structure and functioning, as well as providing a thorough overview of how the SCA works in practice, this book is an indispensable resource for scholars and practitioners who wish to understand and learn how NHRIs operate at the national level, as well as what problems they face and ultimately, how they can be strengthened. Benefitting from the unique insight of David Langtry, a member of the SCA for 11 years, this book is an essential source for all those interested in the role of NHRIs, and more broadly, of all state-established institutions intended to function independently.

David Langtry worked in the A-status Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) from 2006-2017, serving as Deputy Chief Commissioner and Acting Chief Commissioner. David was the representative for the Americas Region on the SCA from 2006-2017, serving as Chair 2006-2007 and 2014-2017. The CHRC served as Chair of GANHRI from 2007-2010. Kirsten Roberts Lyer is Associate Professor of Practice at Central European University, Vienna. She previously worked as a director in the A-status Irish Human Rights Commission (NHRI) from 2008-2013, during which time she was also the co-ordinator of the European Group of NHRIs and helped to establish the permanent secretariat of the European NHRI network (now ENNHRI). In addition to research and publications on the functioning of independent state-established bodies, she continues to consult for international organisations on the development and strengthening of NHRIs around the world including UNDP, OSCE-ODIHR and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.