Since 1995, RWI has contributed to strengthening the human rights, operational and functional capacity of over 50 National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) around the world, including in Europe, South and South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, so they could fulfil their mandate to promote and protect human rights. Over the years, the Institute has developed a unique model for capacity building of NHRIs that focuses on all facets of the institution, starting from a base level of ensuring basic operational and human rights knowledge capacities, all the way up to its functional capacities leading towards international accreditation and greater compliance with the Paris Principles.
The Principles Relating to the Status and Functioning of National Institutions (Paris Principles), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1993, are internationally recognised standards which set out the minimum requirements for national human rights institutions to be considered credible and to operate effectively.
RWI’s approach can best be represented as a pyramid, where cooperation can take place at one or more levels depending on the needs of the institution in question.
