National human rights institutions (NHRIs) are institutions with a legal mandate to protect and promote human rights. They are new and unusual institutions: part of the state, but not part of the executive, legislative or judicial branches. Their importance has been highlighted by the UN secretary general. This toolkit is intended primarily to support United Nations Country Team (UNCT) staff who have little or no working experience with NHRIs, as well as partners in the development community. The toolkit’s goal is to provide readers with a good understanding of what NHRIs are, and with tested and useful tools for developing and assessing their work with NHRIs. The toolkit is divided into two modules. The first provides an overview of what NHRIs are and how they operate, including the different organisational models used by different NHRIs, their roles and responsibilities, and the ways in which they relate to legal and political systems. The second module provides tools for use in supporting the development and establishment of NHRIs at each stage of the process, from prior to the establishment of NHRIs in a country, through to consolidation and accreditation of an NHRIs. The toolkit also includes an overview of key concepts and a glossary of key terms.
Governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian knowledge services
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