In a letter addressed to the Parliament of Sweden published today, Commissioner Muižnieks welcomes the current discussions in the Committee on the Constitution to establish a national human rights institution, and urges parliamentarians to ensure that the new body is adequately funded, independent and effective, in accordance with the Paris Principles adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1993.
“National human rights institutions are crucial for promoting and protecting human rights at the national level. To do so, they should have as broad a mandate as possible, be pluralistic, independent from the government, adequately funded and shielded from financial control which might affect their independence”, said the Commissioner.