A/HRC/20/10 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 17/9, which requested the Secretary-General “to report to the Human Rights Council at its twentieth session on the activities of the International Coordinating Committee in accrediting national institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles”, the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights. 2. The report highlights progress achieved since the previous report on the accreditation of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) (A/HRC/16/77) and should be read together with the report of the Secretary-General on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (A/HRC/20/9), which includes, inter alia, information on activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to establish and strengthen these institutions ; measures taken by Governments regarding these institutions; as well as information on NHRIs’ cooperation with the international human rights system. 3. The Subcommittee on Accreditation of the International Coordinating Committee of NHRIs has the mandate to review and analyse applications for the accreditation of such institutions and to make recommendations to the International Coordinating Committee Bureau on the applicant’s compliance with the Paris Principles. The Subcommittee on Accreditation comprises representatives from one “A” status NHRI from each of the four International Coordinating Committee regional groupings: Africa, the Americas, AsiaPacific and Europe. Subcommittee members are appointed by each regional grouping for a renewable term of three years. Subcommittee members designate by consensus, for a renewable term of one year, one member to act as the Chairperson. During the first session of 2011, Subcommittee members were from the national human rights institutions of Canada, Togo, Germany and the Republic of Korea. At its regional meeting held on 17 May 2011, the European Group of NHRIs appointed France as the new member of the Subcommittee on Accreditation, replacing Germany at its second session. OHCHR is a permanent observer of the Subcommittee on Accreditation and serves as its secretariat. 4. The table reflecting accreditation status of national human rights institutions as of December 2011 is attached as the annex. II. Improvement of the International Coordinating Committee accreditation process 5. The accreditation process carried out by the Subcommittee on Accreditation, with the support of OHCHR, has improved over the years, and has become more rigorous, fair and transparent. 6. At its 20th annual meeting held in April 2008, the International Coordinating Committee adopted a decision paper regarding the accreditation process which addressed three specific areas: (a) the composition of the Subcommittee on Accreditation and its role and responsibilities; (b) the accreditation procedures; and (c) the substance of criteria or minimum standards set for accreditation. 7. The accreditation process plays a critical role in assessing the effectiveness of NHRIs and in strengthening their performance in the fulfilment of their mandate. On that basis, the International Coordinating Committee has undertaken a number of measures to improve its accreditation procedures: 3