National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) Webinar Series (2025-2026)

In many countries, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) (Commissioners, Ombudsman bodies, Consultative Commissions, Agencies, etc.) are uniquely positioned to monitor the domestic implementation of economic and social rights. 

NHRIs have various methods at their disposal that can be leveraged for advancing state accountability in relation to this critical category of fundamental rights. Among them, public inquiries have been identified as particularly effective in addressing socio-economic issues, including systemic and widespread violations of fundamental rights. Although the past two decades have witnessed steady growth in NHRI literature, the subject of economic and social rights remains underrepresented in the discourse on the role of NHRIs within the multi-level human rights governance architecture. Moreover, while some attention has been given to NHRIs’ role in complaint handling and promoting compliance with obligations in the field of economic and social rights, the inquiry mandate of NHRIs in this domain is rarely covered.

To explore the achievements and potential opportunities for action by NHRIs, the Human Rights Centre, in cooperation with some regional institutions representing NHRIs, has, between 2025 and 2026, convened online seminars to inspire conversations on relevant experiences in over 20 African, Asia-Pacific and European countries. Representatives of NHRIs have actively participated, sharing information and data on their mandates, practices, achievements, and challenges, with a focus on economic and social rights, and providing details on their monitoring methodologies. The use of public inquiries emerged in most presentations and subsequent discussions as a promising tool not only for monitoring but also for tackling systemic problems and advancing accountability. 

The seminars were held on December 15, 2025, March 26, and March 31, 2026, and were attended by more than 50 officers from 25 national institutions.

The proceedings of such meetings are made available on this page.

The Human Rights Centre expresses its gratitude to the Commissioners and officers who participated in the meeting, and to the regional bodies, namely the African Network of NHRIs (NANHRI), the European Network of NHRIs (ENNRHI), and the Asia-Pacific Forum (APF) of NHRIs, for their generous support in the realisation of the series. Special thanks go to the Human Rights Centre’s staff and the Master’s students at the University of Padova who helped collect the materials and produce the reports.

• The Role of African NHRIs in Economic and Social Rights Monitoring. Focus on the Inquiry Mandate. 
  Proceedings of the Seminar, 15 December 2025 
   
• The Role of Asia-Pacific NHRIs in Economic and Social Rights Monitoring. Focus on the Inquiry Mandate. 
  Proceedings of the Seminar, 26 March 2026
   
• The Role of European NHRIs in Economic and Social Rights Monitoring. 
  Proceedings of the Seminar, 31 March 2026