Bouayach, who chaired the meetings of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), said that the consolidation of human rights institutions’ independence is of paramount importance to address global challenges, allowing them to play their role in developing effective and collective solutions in their work with State institutions, civil society, international organizations, academia and the media.
National human rights institutions are a warning and vigilance mechanism to protect rights, she continued, lamenting that out of 193 UN Member States, only 89 have established such institutions in accordance with the Paris Principles.
The Global Alliance will continue to work with regional networks, UN programs and other partners to build the capacity of its members and ensure the independence and effectiveness of national human rights institutions to protect rights and freedoms, she assured.
During the meeting, which celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 30th anniversary of the Paris Principles, Ms. Bouayach hailed the achievements of human rights institutions that have contributed to the development of international legal doctrine and best practices in the field.
She told MAP that GANHRI’s General Assembly adopted two important projects aimed at amending the statutes to make national human rights institutions real mechanisms capable of addressing victims’ complaints and adopting a working strategy to address emerging human rights issues.
In addition, it was decided that membership of the Alliance would be strictly limited to UN Member States, with stricter conditions for the admission of institutions, with the aim of strengthening the values of independence, explained Bouayach, who is also Vice-President of GANHRI.
The work of the Alliance and the meetings organized on the sidelines of this event have made it possible to present the Moroccan experience in strengthening the institutional framework of human rights, she added.
She further stressed that the Kingdom’s leadership will be strengthened from 2025, when it will assume the presidency of GANHRI.