The reassessment, the so-called re-accreditation, of the status of the National Human Rights Institution of Finland has been started. The National Human Rights Institution of Finland consists of the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Human Rights Centre along with its Delegation. The review is performed by an international coordinating body for national human rights institutions called Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).

National human rights institutions are independent and autonomous bodies established by law that promote and safeguard human rights. Their status, mandate and composition are defined by the criteria approved by the UN in 1993, the so-called Paris Principles. Human rights institutions with the ‘A status’ fully meet these requirements. The highest possible status, the ‘A status’, has been awarded to the National Human Rights Institution of Finland in 2014. The accreditation status is re-evaluated every five years.

Human rights institutions with the ‘A status’ are accorded speaking rights at the UN Human Rights Council and have the right to vote at GANHRI meetings. The ‘A status’ is considered highly significant in the UN and, in more general terms, in international cooperation.

The review process

The review of the National Human Rights Institutions is based on the processing of a written application and an interview with the management of the institution. The target is to demonstrate that the institution’s legal status and mandate as well as the scope and impact of its activities meet the requirements of the Paris Principles. During the processing of the application, the views of regional cooperating bodies of national human rights institutions as well as local actors can be heard. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva provides assistance in the review process.

The application will be submitted to the accreditation committee by the beginning of June and will be processed in the committee session to be held in October. The committee will provide GANHRI with a recommendation on the accreditation status of the National Human Rights Institution of Finland, and the status will be confirmed by the end of the year, if not called into question.

For further information, please contact:

Kristiina Kouros, Expert at the Human Rights Centre
kristiina.kouros@eduskunta.fi
Tel. +358 9 4321 3782