A Manual on National Human Rights Institutions The Paris Principles are not lengthy – only about 1,200 words. They are quite general overall, though some parts are very specific. “They provide a broad normative framework for the status, structure, mandate, composition, power and methods of operation of the principal domestic human rights mechanism.”23 This manual will examine the various requirements of the Paris Principles in detail in later sections. 1.5. VIENNA DECLARATION AND PROGRAMME OF ACTION The second significant event was the Second World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna, Austria, in June 1993. The Vienna World Conference saw the participation of NHRIs for the first time in such an important international forum. They participated in their own rights, not as members of their governments’ delegations, as they had until then in meetings of the UN Commission on Human Rights. They had designated seating and independent speaking rights in the Conference plenary sessions. They played a major role in drafting and negotiating the Conference statement, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA).24 Most importantly for NHRIs, the VDPA gave strong endorsement for the establishment and strengthening of NHRIs in accordance with the Paris Principles. It encouraged States that did not have an NHRI to establish one. It said: The World Conference on Human Rights reaffirms the important and constructive role played by national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, in particular in their advisory capacity to the competent authorities, their role in remedying human rights violations, in the dissemination of human rights information, and education in human rights. The World Conference on Human Rights encourages the establishment and strengthening of national institutions, having regard to the ‘Principles relating to the status of national institutions’ and recognizing that it is the right of each State to choose the framework which is best suited to its particular needs at the national level.25 Interior view of Vienna Conference Centre, World Conference on Human Rights, 1993. UN Photo by A Rauscher. 8 23 GANHRI SCA General Observations as adopted in Geneva in May 2013, PP 1. 24 A/CONF.157/23. 25 A/CONF.157/23, Part I, para. 36.