UN Body Defers NHRC Accreditation | 15 May 2024
The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), which is based in Geneva and affiliated with the United Nations (UN), has postponed granting accreditation to the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) for the second consecutive year.
- The decision could impact India's voting rights at the Human Rights Council and certain UNGA bodies.
- GANHRI gives A-status to institutions that meet certain criteria for independence and effectiveness in protecting human rights.
- The NHRC has been accredited ‘A’ Status since the beginning of the accreditation process for NHRIs in 1999, which it retained in 2006, 2011 and in 2017 also after the deferment.
- However, in 2023 and 2024, India's NHRC had its A-status suspended for two consecutive years.
- The NHRC has been accredited ‘A’ Status since the beginning of the accreditation process for NHRIs in 1999, which it retained in 2006, 2011 and in 2017 also after the deferment.
- The GANHRI latest report is still awaited. However, its previous report (2023 report) had cited a number of reasons for recommending the deferral. These included:
- Composition: Lack of transparency in appointing members to the NHRC,
- Appointment of police officers to oversee human rights investigations
- Lack of gender and minority representation on the member panel.
- NHRC has also failed to create conditions required to be “able to operate independent of government interference”.