Conducting a National Inquiry into Systemic Patterns of Human Rights Violation Summary Chapter 1: National human rights institutions and national inquiries • NHRIs are official, independent State institutions established by law to promote and protect human rights. • The Paris Principles set out minimum requirements for an effective independent NHRI, the standard by which the structure, form and legal basis of an institution are assessed in determining whether the institution is to receive international recognition. • The Paris Principles require that NHRIs have guarantees of independence. • A national inquiry is a mechanism by which NHRIs are able to pursue many of their core functions of investigating, educating, raising awareness, monitoring and advising on human rights issues. Chapter 2: The concept of a national inquiry • A national inquiry is an investigation into a systemic human rights problem in which the public in general is invited to participate through providing public evidence and written submissions, which has investigative and educational objectives and which results in a report with findings and recommendations. • A national inquiry is a good means to address complex human rights situations that are historical and systemic in nature and that require comprehensive examination and report. • A national inquiry is a very effective mechanism but a demanding one and so should be undertaken only after careful consideration of all the relevant factors as to the appropriateness of the issue for the national inquiry approach and the capacity of the NHRI to undertake the inquiry successfully. Chapter 3: Choose the issue • The issue to be investigated by a national inquiry should be selected on the basis that a national inquiry is particularly suitable as a mechanism to deal with systemic or historic patterns of human rights violation. • The issue must have a strong, clear human rights dimension. • The inquiry process is especially suited to investigating and addressing violations of economic, social and cultural rights, but not only these. • The issue should be selected with a view to the possibilities for human rights education through the public nature of the national inquiry methodology. • Choosing the issue is one of the most important decisions to be made in relation to a national inquiry. Chapter 4: Prepare a background (scoping) paper • The background or scoping paper forms the basis for the NHRI’s decision-making on whether to proceed with the proposed inquiry, identifying what is proposed to be done in the national inquiry, including how it will be done and what it will cost, before the NHRI decides to approve the project. 80