A/HRC/39/68 Annex Discussion paper on the interaction between national human rights institutions and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 1. The purpose of the present paper is to identify areas for strengthening collaboration between national human rights institutions that are compliant with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles) 1 and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a subsidiary body of the Human Rights Council.2 2. National human rights institutions and the Expert Mechanism have much to gain from increased cooperation in performing their responsibilities, including in achieving the ends of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 3. In its resolution 33/25, the Human Rights Council encouraged the Expert Mechanism to enhance its engagement with national human rights institutions, which should be in accordance with the mandates of each national human rights institution, and decided that the annual meeting of the Expert Mechanism shall be open to the participation of national human rights institutions. 4. The Expert Mechanism recognizes the important role that national human rights institutions have in, inter alia: • Bringing international human rights standards into domestic legal and policy frameworks • Enhancing the equal access to and enjoyment of rights by particularly vulnerable groups, including indigenous peoples • Promoting indigenous peoples’ participation in decision-making on issues that concern them (report of the Expert Mechanism on indigenous peoples’ right to participate in decision-making) 5. At its tenth session, held in 2017, the Expert Mechanism held an interactive dialogue with national human rights institutions on the implementation of the Declaration. Following this session, the Expert Mechanism and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions recognized the value in increasing collaboration, in particular in the light of the Expert Mechanism’s amended mandate to include country engagement. Proposals for the collaboration between national human rights institutions and the Expert Mechanism Annual sessions of the Expert Mechanism 6. The Expert Mechanism has established a standing item on the agenda of its annual sessions, which are held in July in Geneva, on dialogue with national human rights institutions. The Expert Mechanism seeks to provide national human rights institutions with a platform for exchange of good practices and challenges relating to their work on indigenous peoples’ rights at country level with Member States, indigenous peoples, United Nations agencies and other stakeholders. 1 2 16 The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions has an accreditation procedure through which national human rights institutions are examined on their compliance with the Paris Principles. Those deemed to be in full compliance receive an A-status accreditation. In the present document, national human rights institutions refer to those institutions with a constitutional or legislative mandate to protect and/or promote human rights. The mandate of the Mechanism was amended by Human Rights Council resolution 33/25.