Second Annual Report of the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) 2014 - Kingdom of Bahrain 22. The Regulation includes controls of the transfer and secondment of staff, other provisions related to staff training, missions, scholarships, and training of university students and recent graduates. The Regulation decides all issues relevant to employment discipline including working hours, public and weekly holidays, vacations and overtime. In addition, the Regulation lays down provisions relevant to administrative investigation and discipline of ordinary staff and senior level posts, consequent disciplinary sanctions, and guarantees of staff disciplinary accountability. The Regulation also incorporates provisions relating to termination or extension of employment term and the mechanism for appealing administrative decisions affecting employment rights of NIHR staff. 23. As regards NIHR financial and accounting areas, the Council of Commissioners issued Resolution No. 13 of 2014 adopting the financial and administrative regulation of the National Institution for Human Rights. The Regulation includes all issues related to NIHR financial and accounting organization according to the latest methods of financial management and accounting in order to identify the financial, accounting and administrative policies and procedures relating to and controlling NIHR funds, assets, and liabilities. 24. The Regulation includes provisions relating to NIHR budget, the procedures adopted for preparing its budget and its bank account, issues related to payments, revenues, purchases, fixed and movable assets, in addition to the requirements of security and safety and financial powers for authorizing financial and accounting documents. The Regulation explicitly states that NIHR has the power to manage and independently and fully control its financial resources. The Regulation further stipulates that NIHR accounts are subject to the control of the Financial and Administrative Control Office. According to the Regulation, an internal or external auditor should be appointed to audit all financial, accounting and administrative procedures. 25. To complement these regulations, the Council of Commissioners issued Resolution No. 11 of 2013 Adopting NIHR Information Technology Regulation which regulates all matters relating to information technology. It includes general provisions relating to electronic information security policy in NIHR information system, issues related to organizing electronic information, and electronic information access, control, and protection. The Regulation further includes a mechanism for data backup, restoration and retention, along with indicating the systems concerning protection from malicious software policy. SEVENTH: NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS AS PREVENTIVE MECHANISMS 26. National institutions, according to “Paris Principles”, have a role in the promotion and protection of human rights and have a mandate to align their legislation, regulations, and practices with international human rights instruments. These institutions have a role in encouraging the states to ratify or accede to those instruments and ensure their implementation. Furthermore, “Paris Principles” grant them a role in preparing reports which should be submitted by the states to the United Nations bodies and committees and to the regional institutions in accordance with their human rights obligations. 27. Certain international human rights instruments require the State Parties to develop a national preventive mechanism. For example, the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment requires developing a system of regular visits to be undertaken by international bodies “Sub-Committee against Torture (SPT)” and other national independent bodies “national preventive mechanisms (NPM)” to the places where persons are deprived of their liberty in order to prevent torture and other ill-treatment. At other times, those international instruments require developing national monitoring mechanisms. For example, the Convention on the Rights of Persons 40

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