Pre-Glion X Policy Dialogue with the Permanent Missions of Paraguay and Portugal on ‘Key characteristics and good practices in the establishment and development of NMIRFs’

The Permanent Missions of Paraguay and Portugal will host the first of three preparatory Policy Dialogue ahead of the 2024 Glion Human Rights Dialogue (Glion X). The overall theme of this year’s Glion is:

‘Transforming universal norms into local reality – NMIRFs and the strengthening of the UN human rights system’s effectiveness and on-the-ground impact.’

The policy dialogue hosted by the Permanent Missions of Paraguay and Portugal on Tuesday, 23 April 2024 from 14h30 – 17h30 at the Permanent Mission of Paraguay (Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28A) will discuss ‘Key characteristics and good practices in the establishment and development of NMIRFs,’ particularly focusing on composition, stakeholder engagement, IT systems and data management, and integrated approaches to human rights and the SDGs.

Over the course of the pre-Glion policy dialogues, participants will have the opportunity to consider and discuss each key dimension or characteristic of an effective NMIRF, and, under each, share national experiences and good practices. The aim, as noted above, will be to identify international best practice – i.e., what are the ‘success factors’ that help ensure that NMIRFs are able to fulfil their role in society, namely, to ensure that UN human rights recommendations are implemented (as appropriate) at national level (whether through new or amended legislation, policy, or practice), and lead to measurable improvements in the enjoyment of human rights.

During the pre-Glion policy dialogues, the following key dimensions/characteristics of NMIRFs will be considered:

• Legal basis, terms of reference, mandate.
• Organisational structure and working methods, including:
  • Regularity of meetings.
  • Focal points.
  • Recommendation clustering.
• Secretariat/budget
• Composition, including:
  • All relevant line ministries (in addition to the foreign ministry).
  • Technical-level and policy-level participation.
  • State agencies (e.g., police, penitentiary services, national statistics offices).
  • Parliamentarians.
  • Judiciary.
• Other stakeholder engagement, including:
  • Civil society organisations.
  • NHRIs.
  • UN Country Teams.
  • Private sector.
• IT systems and data management.
• Integrated approaches to human rights and the SDGs.

This first policy dialogue will aim to cover those aspects highlighted in italics.