This was disclosed by Joseph Whittal, commissioner at Ghana’s Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, who doubles as president of the Network of National Human Rights Institutions in West Africa (NNHRI - WA).
GANHRI accords A status only to human rights institutions that wholly comply with Paris Principles. Others are rated B or so.
“We may easily pat ourselves on the back in West Africa and the Sahel and say that out of 16 countries 15 have established NHRIS and that 10 of them have status ‘A’ under the Paris Principles Assessment of effectiveness, but as you all know, these are minimum standards and that under each of the criteria set down a lot can still be done to strengthen our NIIRIS even with "A" status accreditation with more robust legal frameworks, better budget outlays etc.,” he said during the NNHRI – WA 6th Annual Conference held at OIC Conference Centre in Bijilo, The Gambia.
“What can be done to the 4 or 5 NHRIs which have "B" status clearly depicting some weaknesses and the one shutdown by the junta in Guinea?” he asked.
The 10 countries whose right bodies have been granted A status are Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo.
After three years following its establishment, The Gambia’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was rated as such by GANHRI on 25 March 2022 for its absolute compliance with the Paris Principles.
