The Paris Principles were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1993 as the international standards for how National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) should be set up and run.
They came out of a process that began in the early 1990s, when states and human rights experts met in Paris in 1991 to agree common standards for national bodies that protect and promote human rights. Before this, different countries had very different approaches, and there was no shared benchmark for independence, powers, or accountability.
The Paris Principles set out the key requirements for these institutions to be effective: they must be independent from government, have a broad mandate in law, be adequately funded, reflect pluralism and diversity, and have powers to monitor, advise, investigate, and educate on human rights issues.
They have since become the global “gold standard” for national human rights institutions, including Independent Children’s Rights Institutions (ICRIs), which apply these principles specifically to children and young people’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
NICCY and the Paris Principles:
The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) is Northern Ireland’s (ICRI). Established in 2003, NICCY’s role is to safeguard and promote the rights and best interests of children and young people, in line with the UNCRC. As an ICRI, NICCY operates according to the Paris Principles, which set the international standards for independence, accountability, and effectiveness of human rights institutions. This means NICCY is legally independent from government, has a broad mandate to monitor and advise on laws, policies and practices affecting children, and works to ensure that children’s voices are heard and their rights respected across society.
Letter from the UNCRC to Minister for Communities (February 2025)
Bruce Adamson, former Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, talking about how the Paris Principles set the global standard for national human rights institutions like NICCY.