National human rights institutions (NHRI) from across the globe discussed progress and strategies to implement the Kyiv-Copenhagen Declaration during the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), held in Geneva.
The Annual Meeting featured a Knowledge Exchange session on 7 May, moderated by APT Secretary General Barbara Bernath, where NHRIs shared their recent efforts to promote and protect freedom from torture and ill-treatment, as well as the challenges they face in this work.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, described some of the terrible violations his NHRI had documented during the current conflict.
Interventions from other panellists (representing the NHRIs of Canada, Thailand and South Africa, as well as the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture) and NHRIs from a diverse range of countries highlighted developments such as new anti-torture legislation that has been enacted, as well as their role in training law enforcement, investigating complaints, monitoring places of detention, promoting ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) and their preventive mandate when they act as National Preventive Mechanisms.
The Knowledge Exchange was an opportunity for NHRIs to follow up on commitments made at the 14th International Conference of NHRIs, held in November 2023, which adopted the Kyiv-Copenhagen Declaration on the role of NHRIs to prevent and respond to torture and other ill-treatment.
The Declaration is a significant milestone in the global effort to eradicate torture, and the Knowledge Exchange session provided an opportunity for NHRIs to discuss their progress and share effective implementation strategies.
The APT drew attention to the launch of the online course for NHRIs on torture prevention, the Spanish translation of the APF/APT Practical Guide on Torture Prevention and our paper on the role of NHRIs to support the promotion of the Méndez Principles on Effective Interviewing for Investigations and Information Gathering.
The APT will continue to support NHRIs and GANHRI in their efforts to implement the Kyiv-Copenhagen Declaration, which stresses their promotion, protection and prevention roles, and the importance of adopting a victim/survivor-centred approach and focusing on persons in situations of vulnerability.
The GANHRI Annual Meeting also allowed the APT to meet bilaterally with partner NHRIs. Together with the NHRI from Malaysia, we hosted a very fruitful dialogue with the NHRIs from the Maldives and Indonesia on strategies to address corporal punishment and promote UNCAT ratification by Malaysia.
