Geneva-based UN-related body to review India’s human rights accreditation status this week

Subject: IR

Sec: Int Org

Context:

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is preparing to defend the government’s human rights processes at a meeting in Geneva this week.

More on news:

The NHRC’s ratings were put on hold in 2023 over concerns on its composition procedure, the presence of police personnel in human rights investigations, and the lack of gender and minority representation, and the decision over whether the NHRC is given an A rating or a B rating would affect its ability to vote at the UN Human Rights Council and some UNGA bodies.
The meeting of the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the UN-recognised Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) worldwide will be held on May 1.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is understood to have reached out to various countries involved in the review process to make its case through diplomatic channels.

About the timeline:

This is the second time the Modi government is facing a possible listing downgrade.
Since being accredited in 1999, India had retained its A ranking in 2006 and 2011, while its status was deferred in 2016 and restored after a year.
According to a six-point submission by the SCA in March 2023, the NHRC has failed to create conditions required to be able to operate independent of government interference.
The committee had slammed India for the involvement of police officers in its investigative process, calling it a conflict of interest.

About Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI):

The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI; known until 2016 as the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions or International Coordinating Committee, abbreviated ICC) is a global network of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) which coordinates the relationship between NHRIs and the United Nations human rights system.
It is unique as the only non-UN body whose internal accreditation system, based on compliance with the 1993 Paris Principles, grants access to UN committees.
Institutions accredited by the Subcommittee for Accreditation (SCA) of GANHRI with “A status”, meaning full compliance with the Paris Principles, are usually accorded speaking rights and seating at human rights treaty bodies and other UN organs, mainly to the Human Rights Council.
GANHRI representatives often present statements on behalf of individual NHRIs or the regional groups.