A Manual on National Human Rights Institutions Chapter 3: The Paris Principles KEY QUESTIONS • What are the Paris Principles? • How were the Paris Principles developed? • What do the Paris Principles require for NHRIs? • How important is independence for NHRIs? • What are the other requirements for NHRIs that comply with the Paris Principles? • What is the “good practice” process for States wishing to establish an NHRI? 3.1. THE PARIS WORKSHOP OF OCTOBER 1991 From 7 to 9 October 1991, representatives of NHRIs gathered for the first time at a workshop organised by the UN Centre for Human Rights, pursuant to a resolution of the Commission on Human Rights.38 Representatives of human rights institutions or offices in 24 countries attended, although only around ten could be considered to be proper NHRIs.39 In addition, representatives of ombudsman’s offices in 13 countries attended.40 There were also representatives of governments, four UN and inter-governmental bodies, three regional human rights institutions and nine NGOs and research institutes. This first workshop on NHRIs: … was intended, in particular, to provide an opportunity for considering existing or potential forms of cooperation between these institutions and the intergovernmental organizations, such as the United Nations, in order to make them more effective. The Workshop was also intended to give each national institution an opportunity to describe its structures and functioning and to exchange experience, so as to increase the awareness of all States Members of the United Nations and encourage the existing national institutions to step up their action, if necessary, in order to ensure the optimum promotion and protection of human rights.41 The agenda was structured around these terms of reference: • Relations between national institutions and the State –– independence through legal status –– independence through composition –– independence through operation 16 38 UN Commission on Human Rights, National institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, 7 March 1990, E/CN.4/ RES/1990/73. Available at: www.refworld.org/docid/3b00f0a010.html. 39 Australia, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Italy, Morocco, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, USSR, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. 40 Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Guatemala, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Namibia, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Thailand. 41 Paris workshop report, E/CN.4/1992/43, p. 1; available at www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/CN.4/1992/43.