Editors' Introduction

• Author: Shelagh Day, Lucie Lamarche & Ken Norman
• Pages: 1-15

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EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION

Shelagh Day, Lucie Lamarche, & Ken Norman

A. INTRODUCTION

Twenty years ago, the United Nat ions General Ass embly adopted the

widely known a nd well-celebrated Paris Pr inciples on National Institutions

for the Promotion and Protec tion of Human Rights.1 The Paris Pr inciples set

standa rds for nationa l human rights instit utions. They specify t hat hu-

man right s institutions should be aut horized to inquire into a nd report

publicly on any violat ion of human right s; human rig hts inst itutions

must also be i ndependent from gover nment, be appointe d through i n-

clusive and tra nsparent procedures, and have ade quate and stable fund-

ing. Subsequently t he United Nations Huma n Rights Council has ca lled

on governments a round the world to establish human r ights ins titu-

tions with broa d mandates to protect and promote a ll human right s and,

where they exi st, to strengthen t hem.2

Today, over one hundred national huma n rights i nstitut ions exist

in the world and are me mbers of the Inter national Coord inating Com-

mittee of the Nat ional Inst itutions for Promot ion and Protect ion of

Human R ights.3 In Can ada, the ter m human rights institutions refers to

1 Principles Relat ing to the Status of National Institut ions, annex to National In-

stitutions for th e Promotion and Protect ion of Human Rights, CHR Res 54, UN E-

SCOR, Supp No 2, UN Doc E/1992/22, (1992); GA Res 48/134, UNGAOR, 48th

Sess, (1993) Annex.

2 National Institutions for the P romotion and Protect ion of Human Rights, UN Doc

A/HRC/Res/20/14, 16 July 2012 and A/ HRC/23/L.15, 7 June 2013.

3 See International Coord inating Commit tee of the National In stitutions for

Promotion and P rotection of Hu man Right s (ICC), online: ICC http://nhri.