NHRI Leadership: an introductory guide In addition, two further characteristics are implied: • accessibility, especially for those individuals and groups who experience human rights violations or are at risk of human rights violations, taking into account socio-economic, cultural, geographical and procedural dimensions • accountability – legal accountability, arising from being state institutions established by law, and moral accountability as a human rights organisation. The Paris Principles requirement of pluralism is important in ensuring that each NHRI reflects the society it serves. This is especially important for women because women have been historically under-represented in state institutions, especially in decision-making and management roles. NHRIs should seek to ensure the presence of women among their top leaders and appoint women to senior management positions in their staff. The Paris Principles are international minimum standards. NHRIs can go beyond the requirements of the Paris Principles, for example, with greater independence, broader human rights mandates, stronger powers, better resources and so on. However, full compliance with the Paris Principles is the minimum required for NHRIs to be legitimate, credible and effective. 4. Models of NHRIs The Paris Principles do not prescribe any particular model for the structure of NHRIs. They provide the general framework but leave it to each individual state to establish an NHRI on the model most appropriate to its national context.8 The NHRI’s founding law prescribes the model for the institution. In the Asia Pacific region NHRIs have been established on two models, the commission model and the ombuds model. The commission model is distinguished by having a multi-member governing body that acts collectively or collegially and having a broad mandate for human rights promotion and protection.9 The governing body is generally called the commission and its members are called commissioners. It is headed by a commissioner who is called president or chairperson or chief commissioner. In this guide the NHRI head is referred to generically as ‘chief commissioner’. The ombuds model is built on one member who is full-time and supported by a significant number of staff. The position is variously named: ombudsman or ombudsperson or ombuds, provedor(a), defensor(a) or public defender. In this guide the NHRI head is referred to generically as ‘ombudsperson’. These NHRIs principally undertake investigations of complaints or situations of human rights violations.10 This guide is written for leaders in both types of NHRI. 8 8 See APF A manual on national human rights institutions chapter 4 p 29 and following, at https://www.asiapacificforum.net/resources/manual-on-nhris/. 9 APF A manual on national human rights institutions p 30 at https://www.asiapacificforum.net/resources/manual-on-nhris/. 10 APF A manual on national human rights institutions p 31 at https://www.asiapacificforum.net/resources/manual-on-nhris/.