National human rights institutions (NHRIs) are institutions with a constitutional and/or legislative mandate to protect and promote human rights – they often take the form of human rights commissions, ombudsmen or specialised institutions that protect the rights of a particular group (UNDP-OHCHR 2010).
Key findings
- Most NHRIs have been established over the past 20 years – and there are now 103 accredited NHRIs across the world. NHRIs vary significantly according to their definition of human rights, mandates, structures, budgets and the national political and legal traditions;
- There is limited publically available and comparable information about aid flows to NHRIs. At present, the most useful source of this data is the NHRIs themselves – however, levels of budget transparency vary significantly according to each NHRI.
- The size of budget for NHRIs varies greatly from less than $10,000 (USD) to over $100 million (USD). In a survey of NHRIs, the majority of respondents said their budgets are funded entirely by the state. Some NHRIs limit, or ban, funding from external sources. Donors play a significant role in financing and providing non-financial support to NHRIs in cases where the resources cannot be provided nationally;
- The literature reviewed for this report revealed a series of key challenges, lessons learned and good practice for external actors in regards to funding NHRIs including: donor coordination; donor driven priorities not supporting national priorities; financial constraints on NHRIs; and linking NHRIs with international and regional mechanisms.
- The report concludes with a list of potential areas for further support, as suggested by NHRIs.
