Roundtable discussion dedicated to 30th anniversary of the Principles relating to the Status of National Human Rights Institutions

The round-table discussion provided an opportunity to take stock of the work accomplished by the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in Tajikistan (Ombudsman) to fully comply with the Paris Principles.

Representatives of Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Finance participated in the round-table discussion to confirm their commitment to support the Ombudsman Office in implementation of the Sub-Committee’s recommendations.

Five thematic sections of the round-table discussion covered the themes of equality and non-discrimination, freedom from torture, protection of the rights of children with disability, business, and human rights, as well as women’s rights. Those discussions comprised brief interventions from both, representatives of the Ombudsman Office and their respective partners from CSOs which reflected good cooperation between Ombudsman and civil society.

Currently, Tajikistan’s Ombudsman has been accredited with status “B” which means that it partially complies with the Paris Principles. It must implement a series of recommendations of the Sub-Committee on Accreditation to achieve full compliance (status “A”). Those recommendations cover the issues of appointment, immunity, diversity of staff and adequate funding.

The Paris Principles ('Principles Relating to the Status of National Human Rights Institutions') set out the minimum standards that NHRIs must meet in order to be considered credible and to operate effectively. The key pillars of the Paris Principles are pluralism, independence and effectiveness.

The above-mentioned initiative is a part of the UN’s actions within 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The  Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a foundational blueprint for taking concrete actions to stand up for human rights and tackle pressing global issues today. In 2023 the world marks 75th anniversary of UDHR. The UN is commemorating this important anniversary with a year-long campaign to raise awareness and promote the Declaration and what it means for humankind. The campaign will have three main goals that focus on universality, progress and engagement under the leadership of UN Human Rights.