Chairman’s Message country to ensure that the measures it adopts to address any possible threats to peace and security do not undermine the human rights of the people. As an NHRI, the Commission continued its active engagement with international and regional human rights mechanisms and bodies as a continuous effort to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights domestically. In its capacity as an ‘A’ status NHRI, the Commission continued to contribute its views on thematic human rights issues to the Regular Sessions of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). It also assumed two key positions namely the Chair of the Commonwealth Forum of NHRIs (CFNHRIs) and the Chair of the Southeast Asia NHRIs Forum (SEANF), which ended in November and September, respectively, and which had not only enhanced the international standing of the Commission but also accorded it considerable benefits through its contacts and interactions with other NHRIs. On 17 November, the Commission was reviewed by the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights Sub-Committee on Accreditation (ICC-SCA) under a re-accreditation exercise that aimed at assessing NHRIs’ compliance with the Paris Principles 1993, a set of minimum standards adopted by the UN General Assembly to promote independence and effectiveness of NHRIs in promoting and protecting human rights. On 25 November, the Commission received a positive response from the ICC-SCA regarding its recommendation for the Commission’s ‘A’ status to be retained. While this came as a pleasant piece of news to the Commission, it also took note of several key concerns that were raised by the ICC-SCA with regard to the selection, appointment and tenure of the Commissioners; cooperation with other human rights bodies; tabling and debate of the Commission’s Annual Reports and Special Reports by Parliament; as well as the Commission’s funding. It should be noted that the re-accreditation exercise arrived at a challenging time when the Commission’s annual budget for 2016 was reduced by almost 50 per cent by the Government. The drastic budget reduction will seriously affect the functioning of the Commission as a whole in view of the fact that demands on its resources have continued to grow in recent years. Hence, unless it is provided with sufficient finances, it might not be able to discharge its core functions effectively as required by its parent Act, which will certainly be detrimental to its image and reputation as an NHRI, as well as to Malaysia as an active Member State of the United Nations. Pursuant to the Paris Principles, one of the key factors that determine the efficacy of an NHRI is the provision of sufficient funds from the Government. Section 19(1) of Act 597 also requires the Government to provide adequate funds to the Commission on an annual basis to allow it to discharge its functions. The Commission therefore calls upon the Government to reconsider its decision on the Commission’s 2016 budget towards guaranteeing the Commission’s ability to assume its responsibilities as an NHRI effectively. 6 BOOK-ANR2016-01-latest.indb 6 08/04/2016 3:32 PM