BackThe Chancellor of Justice received the A-status accreditation as a national human rights institution by the GANHRI Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA). The decision on accreditation preceded by a submission of a comprehensive statement on the independence, mandate and composition of the institution of the Chancellor of Justice, and an oral hearing by the SCA in December last year.
"With this decision, international experts gave the highest possible assessment of the institutional independence of the Chancellor of Justice of Estonia, as well as of the quality of work done on the protection and promotion of human rights," commented the Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise.
The body with an A-status accreditation may attend in sessions of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and take the floor under any agenda item, submit documentation and take up separate seating. The body can also fully participate in the international and regional work and meetings of national institutions as a voting member, and comment on the national report for Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The latter means that the views of the government and civil society organisations on the human rights situation in Estonia will be hereafter complemented by the analysis of the Chancellor of Justice as the national human rights institution of Estonia.
With the amendment to the Chancellor of Justice Act entered into force at the beginning of 2019, Estonia recognized the Chancellor of Justice as a national human rights institution. The additional role strengthens the status of the Chancellor of Justice in protection and promotion of human rights, adding to the everyday work of the Chancellor of Justice an international dimension. To perform these tasks even more effectively and inclusively, the Chancellor of Justice established an advisory committee on human rights at the beginning of 2019.
The global network of National Human Rights Institutions was officially established in 1993 when the UN General Assembly approved the resolution on NHRIs (i.e. Paris Principles). The Paris Principles stipulate that the Member States must establish a national human rights institution following the conditions set out in the resolution. According to the Paris Principles, the NHRI must be an independent institution (including with an adequate budget and full independence from the government) established by the Constitution or law, and with a statutory mandate to protect and promote human rights.
Source: Office of the Chancellor of Justice, Estonia
