National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up (NMIRFs)

How do States transpose international human rights recommendations into local reality, and how to measure progress?

This project will adopt a ‘bottom-up’ approach to understanding how, and to what extent, States implement international human rights obligations and recommendations at domestic level, and will seek to replicate good practice and provide counsel to UN mechanisms and processes designed to support domestic implementation (e.g. follow-up and capacity-building processes).

Starting in January 2016, the URG is implementing a project that has the following three broad objectives, to:

• Support the creation of an informal space for dialogue and exchange between States that have established or are undergoing the process of establishing such mechanisms, or that are simply willing to engage in dialogue on questions of implementation, follow-up, impact, and reporting.
• Support the creation of a space for sharing good practice, lessons learnt, and challenges faced by Sates at domestic level in implementing, tracking, and reporting on human rights recommendations and identifying ways to better overcome challenges, including through bilateral and regional experience exchange.
• Support the promotion of the role of national mechanisms responsible for implementation coordination, reporting, and follow-up and the wider ‘implementation agenda’ within related Council initiatives, with the ultimate aim of boosting efforts conducive to the overall strengthening of the ‘on-the-ground’ enjoyment of human rights for all.