Help us make the FRA website better for you!

Take part in a one-to-one session and help us improve the FRA website. It will take about 30 minutes of your time.

YES, I AM INTERESTED NO, I AM NOT INTERESTED

29
April
2025

NHRI Accreditation Status and Mandates – 2025 update

!-!-!-!-!- TO BE PROVIDED -!-!-!-!-!


1. Accreditation status

Since December 2023, one major change has been noticed in the accreditation status of the NHRIs. In April 2023, the Swedish Institute for Human Rights applied for international accreditation status. To make way for this accreditation, the Swedish Equality Ombudsman resigned its accreditation as an NHRI. Following the agreement between the two institutions, the Swedish Equality Ombudsman informed the Sub-Committee on Accreditation that it intended to withdraw its membership as soon as the Swedish Institute’s membership was approved.

Out of the 34 institutions surveyed, 18 have applied or reapplied for (re)accreditation; 15 of these are institutions with A-status. Despite the Bulgarian Commission for Protection against Discrimination’s B-status and non-accreditation of the Romanian Institute for Human Rights and the People’s Advocate of Romania, the three institutions have each submitted an application for the reaffirmation of their accreditation status.

As shown in Table 1, there are currently five institutions not accredited: the Public Defender of Rights of Czechia, the National Guarantor for the Rights of Persons Detained or Deprived of Liberty of Italy, the Parliamentary Ombudsman of Malta, the People’s Advocate of Romania and the Romanian Institute of Human Rights.

Table 1 – Accreditation status of national human rights institutions as of 1 December 2024

Country

Name of institution

Accreditation status

Austria 

Austrian Ombudsman Board

A-status

Belgium

Federal Institute for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (FIRM)

B-status

Belgium

Interfederal Equal Opportunities Centre (Unia)

B-status

Bulgaria

Commission for Protection against Discrimination

B-status*

Bulgaria

Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria

A-status*

Croatia

Ombudswoman of the Republic of Croatia

A-status*

Cyprus

Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights

A-status

Czechia

Public Defender of Rights

Institution not accredited

Denmark

Danish Institute for Human Rights

A-status*

Estonia

Chancellor of Justice

A-status*

Finland 

Human Rights Centre

A-status*

Finland 

Parliamentary Ombudsman

A-status*

France

National Consultative Commission on Human Rights

A-status*

Germany

German Institute for Human Rights

A-status

Greece

Greek National Commission for Human Rights

A-status

Hungary

Commissioner for Fundamental Rights

B-status

Ireland

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

A-status*

Italy

National Guarantor for the Rights of Persons Detained or Deprived of Liberty

Institution not accredited

Latvia

Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Latvia 

A-status

Lithuania

The Seimas Ombudsperson’s Office (Lithuania)

A-status*

Luxembourg

Consultative Human Rights Commission of Luxembourg

A-status

Malta

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Institution not accredited

Netherlands

Netherlands Institute for Human Rights

A-status*

Poland

Commissioner for Human Rights

A-status*

Portugal

Portuguese Ombudsman

A-status*

Romania

People’s Advocate

Institution not accredited*

Romania

Romanian Institute for Human Rights

Institution not accredited*

Slovakia

Slovak National Centre for Human Rights

B-status

Slovenia

Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia

A-status

Spain

Ombuds institution of Spain/Defensor del Pueblo

A-status*

Sweden

Swedish Institute for Human Rights

A- status*

Albania

People’s Advocate of the Republic of Albania

A-status

North Macedonia

Ombudsman of the Republic of North Macedonia

B-status

Serbia

Protector of Citizens of the Republic of Serbia

A-status*

Source: FRA, December 2024.

NB: * indicates  (re)accreditation application since the December 2023 update.