Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI)

Current Context : United Nations-linked Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) deferred the accreditation of the National Human Rights Commission-India (NHRC) for the second year in a row.

• The decision could affect India’s ability to vote at the Human Rights Council and some UNGA bodies.
• The status of NHRC as an accredited Human Rights body was suspended in 2023 and now again in 2024.
• Reason: India’s NHRC has failed to satisfy the international body that the NHRC is ‘able to operate independent of government interference’, According to GANHRI.
• Previous report had cited a number of reasons for recommending the deferral, including the lack of transparency in appointing members to the NHRC.

ABOUT GANHRI:

• Geneva-based GANHRI is responsible for reviewing and accrediting NHRIs (National Human Rights Institutions) in compliance with the Paris Principles.
• It was set up on December 13, 1993 in Tunis, Tunisia.
• Two classifications for accreditation are used by GANHRI:
  • ‘A’ — fully compliant with the Paris Principles.
  • ‘B’ — partially compliant with the Paris Principles.

ABOUT NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHT COMMISSION (NHRC) :

• NHRC is responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights defined by the act as “Rights Relating To Life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the constitution.
• It was set up under the Protection of Human Rights Act in 1993.
• It is a statutory body.
• The NHRC had got ‘A’ status of accreditation the first time in 1999, which it retained in 2006 and 2011 reviews.