A/HRC/13/45 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council decision 2/102, in which the Council requests 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 report outlines progress achieved since the previous report on the accreditation of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) (A/HRC/10/55) 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/13/44), which includes, inter alia, information on activities of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to establish and strengthen NHRIs; measures taken by Governments and the said institutions in this regard; and NHRI cooperation with international human rights mechanisms. II. Subcommittee on Accreditation 2. The Subcommittee on Accreditation of the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights has the mandate to review and analyse applications for accreditation and to make recommendations to the Committee Bureau members on the applicant’s compliance with the Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions (Paris Principles). The Subcommittee on Accreditation comprises one A-status accredited institution from each of the four regional groupings: Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe. Subcommittee members are appointed by the regional groupings for a renewable term of three years. The Subcommittee designates by consensus, for a renewable term of one year, one of its members to act as the Chairperson. Currently, the members are representatives of the NHRIs of Canada (Americas), Togo (Africa), the Republic of Korea (Asia and the Pacific) and Germany (Europe). OHCHR is a permanent observer of the Subcommittee on Accreditation and serves as the secretariat of the International Coordinating Committee. The Subcommittee has acknowledged the high degree of support and professionalism of the staff of the International Coordinating Committee secretariat (OHCHR National Institutions and Regional Mechanisms Section). 3. In 2009, the Subcommittee on Accreditation reviewed the accreditation status (reaccreditation reviews) of institutions from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chad and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It considered new applications from the NHRIs of Mauritania, the Republic of Moldova, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Switzerland,1 Tunisia and Ukraine, as well as from the Scottish Human Rights Commission, and conducted special reviews of the NHRIs of Algeria, Ecuador, Greece, Luxembourg, Malaysia and Nepal. 4. To date, there are 65 NHRIs accredited with A status by the International Coordinating Committee, i.e. in full compliance with the Paris Principles. 5. The table reflecting the accreditation status of NHRIs as at January 2010 is attached in annex I. Annexes II and III include the Subcommittee on Accreditation reports of March and November 2009. The general observations developed by the International Coordinating Committee as of 2009 are attached in annex IV. 1 GE.10-10278 Commission Fédérale pour les Questions Féminines. 3