A/HRC/7/70 page 2 Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council decision 2/102, in which the Council decided to request the High Commissioner for Human Rights to “continue with the fulfilment of [her] activities, in accordance with all previous decisions adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and to update the relevant reports and studies”. The present report outlines progress achieved since the last report on the accreditation of national human rights institutions to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/4/92) and should be read in conjunction with the report of the Secretary-General on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (A/HRC/7/69) which includes, inter alia, information on ways and means of enhancing participation of NHRIs in the work of the Human Rights Council. I. SUB-COMMITTEE ON ACCREDITATION 2. In accordance with the rules of procedure of the International Coordination Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (ICC), the Sub-Committee on Accreditation has the mandate to review and analyse accreditation applications forwarded by the ICC Chairperson and to make recommendations to ICC members on the compliance of applicants with the Paris Principles. 3. For the purpose of ensuring a fair balance of regional representation on the Sub-Committee on Accreditation, it is composed of one “A status” accredited NHRI for each of the four regional groupings, as established by the ICC rules of procedure, namely Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe. Members of the Sub-Committee are appointed by regional groupings for a renewable term of two years. The Sub-Committee on Accreditation designates by consensus, for a renewable term of two years, one of its members to act as the Chair of the Sub-Committee. As of December 2007, the ICC Sub-Committee on Accreditation is composed of representatives of the NHRIs of Canada (Chair) for the Americas; Rwanda for Africa; the Republic of Korea for Asia and the Pacific; and Germany for Europe. OHCHR participates as a permanent observer and in its capacity as ICC secretariat. 4. The Sub-Committee convened on 19-20 March 2007 and considered applications for re-accreditation from Bolivia, Indonesia, Malawi, Peru, the Philippines and Portugal. Applications for re-accreditation were deferred for NHRIs from Fiji, France, Honduras, Nigeria, Poland and Sweden. The Sub-Committee also considered new applications for accreditation from Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Jordan, Puerto Rico and Romania. Finally, the Sub-Committee undertook a review of the accreditation status of the national institutions of Fiji and Nepal, and considered information relating to the NHRIs of Nigeria and Sri Lanka. 5. The Sub-Committee convened from 22-26 October 2007 and considered applications for re-accreditation from Colombia, Denmark, France, Greece, Honduras, Jordan, Morocco, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Spain and Togo. The circumstances of Sweden were also considered. The Sub-Committee also considered new applications from Afghanistan, Georgia and Slovakia, and undertook a review of the accreditation status of the NHRIs of Nepal, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. The national human rights institution of Germany was elected as Chair at the following session.