Driving change through social participation
Civil society can be the driving force that keeps human rights commitments alive.
At the 60th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), the Instituto de Desenvolvimento e Direitos Humanos (IDDH) launched a new report calling for stronger social participation in monitoring and implementing international human rights obligations at the national level.
Drawing on five years of consultations with civil society organizations (CSOs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the report proposes concrete instruments and procedures for dialogue and consultation with civil society in National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting, and Follow-up (NMIRFs).
The side event, organized by IDDH, FES Geneva and UPR Info, and sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Portugal and Paraguay, brought together different stakeholders from the UN, civil society organisations (CSOs), and country representatives from different regions of the world. Discussions focused on the role of NMIRFs in different contexts, how civil society contributes to shaping national human rights implementation, holding governments accountable, and advancing the fulfillment of commitments such as those made under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
What is a NMIRF?
These are government structures mandated to strengthen the implementation of international human rights recommendations, improve and coordinate the preparation of state reports and enhance the monitoring of compliance with international obligations and human rights policies.
Monitoring international human rights obligations can be a challenge, especially with numerous different mechanisms, such as the UPR, which provide recommendations for all categories of rights. As highlighted in the opening remarks, H.E. Mr. Mario Raúl Cano Ricciardi, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Paraguay, NMIRFs play a crucial role in coordinating these efforts and fostering dialogue between the state, civil society, and the public.
Portugal was among the first countries to establish a national mechanism in 2010, following its initial UPR cycle. By its fourth cycle, Portugal’s NMIRF had evolved to include regular consultations with civil society, demonstrating how national mechanisms can strengthen accountability and inclusiveness. H.E. Mr. João António Mira Gomes, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Portugal, stressed that “the mechanisms are flexible and versatile, with no one-size-fits-all solution,” since each country has its own needs, priorities, and capacities. He further underlined the importance of peer learning, noting that Portugal has been in dialogue with Paraguay and Morocco to exchange experiences and strengthen each other’s systems.
Over the last ten years, the goal of both states and CSOs following the third and fourth cycle of the UPR has been local implementation, and so this is where the movement for NMIRFs has grown. Fernanda Lapa, executive director of IDDH, presented the findings of the report highlighting the large role which CSOs can have during the reporting stage in gathering information through consultations between states and CSOs which encourages further transparency and dialogue.
..Engaging with NMIRFs is vital to ensure that international obligations translate into concrete policies and actions on the ground, said Fernanda Lapa.
Civil society engagement is crucial also during the implementation period. IDDH’s proposals, for example recommends, to set up civil society dialogue committee - either permanent, such as in Uruguay, or ad hoc focussing on particular themes- to increase dialogue between CSOs and the state to advance commitments of human rights standards. NMIRFs, can support national actors to centralize knowledge and reporting systems so that the various recommendations can simultaneously be tracked by many different stakeholders.
OHCHR has placed increasing emphasis on supporting States in establishing and strengthening NMIRFs. Beyond providing guidance, OHCHR has invested in capacity-building and the development of tools to enhance the impact of these mechanisms. As noted during the event by Marie-Eve Boyer-Friedrich, Human Rights Officer- Treaty Body Capacity Building Programme, it is important that these national mechanisms are context-specific, as not all States, CSOs, and stakeholders have the same capacities.
Finally, Faribel Maglin Fernandez, Pusat KOMAS- Malaysia, gave the perspective from CSOs and how coalitions and dialogue between organisations can be so useful in highlighting situations that have been occurring on the ground in countries. She spoke about the sixty-five percent increase in the number of recommendations that Malaysia has supported during its fourth cycle of the UPR. This shows a growing commitment from the government to implementing human rights locally, and that continued dialogue between states and CSOs can have an impact.
NMIRFs are important tools for states in further engaging in international processes such as the UPR, and the encouragement of engagement from civil society will further ensure transparency and that recommendations are implemented on the ground.
A recording of the full event is available here: