14. National Human Rights Institutions As Diplomacy Actors

The United Nations (UN) decision to formally call for the creation of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) and promote their role as independent actors in the international human rights framework, the position of NHRIs has been developing. The mandate which national institutions derive from the principles relating to the status of national institutions to engage at the international level, coupled with support from international human rights mechanisms, particularly the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR), has meant that NHRIs are directly engaged in international human rights framework. This chapter discusses the emergence of NHRIs as institutions with a unique mandate and role, which are increasingly active in human rights diplomacy. It considers their creation and emerging position within the international human rights framework, their unique set of characteristics that are of particular benefit in the context of human rights diplomacy, and examples of their roles in this area. Keywords: diplomacy; human rights; international level; national human rights institutions (NHRIs); OHCHR; United Nations (UN)