DUSHANBE, October 13, 2011, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s Human Rights Ombudsman Institute must be registered with the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in order to function under umbrella of all ombudsmen of the world, Mr. Armen Arutyunyan, Regional Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for Central Asia, said yesterday, while addressing a meeting of ombudsmen from Central Asia’s countries in Dushanbe.
“For this, Tajikistan must meet the so-called Paris Principles (Principles Relating to the Status of National Human Rights Institutions), the OHCHR regional representative noted.
We will recall that a regional workshop entitled “The Paris Principles and Role of National Human Rights Institutions in Prevention of Torture in Central Asia” that is taking place on the sidelines of ombudsmen’s meeting is concluding in Dushanbe today.
Organized, by Tajikistan’s Human rights Ombudsman Office under support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the event has brought together head of the OHCHR Human Rights Department for America, Europe, and Central Asia, OHCHR regional representative for Central Asia, the human rights ombudsmen from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia, head of the department at Kazakhstan’s National Center for Human Rights, head of the department for monitoring at Georgia’s Institute for Legal Protection and some other officials.
The workshop participants have discussed issues related to development of the national human rights protection systems in the region, the national human rights institutions (NHRIs) requirements and their role in prevention of torture in Central Asia, cooperation of ombudsmen with the UN agencies, international human rights protection system, civil society, media, etc.
The Paris Principles list a number of responsibilities for national institutions, which fall under five headings: 1) the institution shall monitor any situation of violation of human rights which it decides to take up; 2) the institution shall be able to advise the Government, the Parliament and any other competent body on specific violations, on issues related to legislation and general compliance and implementation with international human rights instruments; 3) the institution shall relate to regional and international organizations; 4) the institution shall have a mandate to educate and inform in the field of human rights; 5) some institutions are given a quasi-judicial competence.
“The key elements of the composition of a national institution are its independence and pluralism. In relation to the independence the only guidance in the Paris Principles is that the appointment of commissioners or other kinds of key personnel shall be given effect by an official Act, establishing the specific duration of the mandate, which may be renewable.” Compliance with the Paris Principles is the central requirement of the accreditation process that regulates NHRI access to the United Nations Human Rights Council and other bodies. This is a peer review system operated by a subcommittee of the International Coordinating Committee of NHRIs.
