UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued federal law pertaining to the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI).
As per the law, the National Human Rights institution has been established and headquartered in Abu Dhabi. The NHRI may open additional branches and establish offices in other emirates.
The establishment of this key mechanism stems from the UAE’s eagerness to develop its institutional structure of human rights in a way that will enhance the country’s position and highlight its role in advancing it.
According to the law, the institution shall be an independent legal entity, which has financial and administrative autonomy in the exercise of its functions, activities and competencies.
The NHRI aims to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms following the provisions of the UAE Constitution, laws and legislation in force in the UAE, as well as relevant international conventions.
The NHRI shall participate, along with the relevant authorities, in the development of a national action plan to promote and protect human rights in the country and propose a mechanism for its implementation to promote a culture of human rights and raise public awareness on ways to promote, protect and pursue human rights.
The Institution should also submit proposals to the relevant authorities and institutions on the extent to which national legislation and laws are compatible with international treaties and conventions on human rights.
The NHRI shall have a board of trustees of at least 11 members, including the Chairperson, with at least half of the members working on a full-time basis.
The law details the mechanism for selecting members of the NHRI, while taking into account the appropriate representation of women.
The law provides the term of membership of the NHRI, which shall be four years, renewable once, beginning from the date of the issuance of the resolution. Members shall exercise their duties in their capacity.
The human rights institutions that are established in accordance with the Paris Principles are treated as official state-created organizations for the promotion and protection of human rights.
Such institutions enjoy financial and administrative autonomy in exercising their mandates and are guided by the Paris Principles for the National Human Rights Institutions, which were adopted in 1993.
In developing this law, the UAE was keen to follow best practices and benchmark previous experiences of other countries with similar institutions.
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