How are the Paris Principles on NHRIs Interpreted? Towards a Clear, Transparent, and Consistent Interpretative Framework

ABSTRACT Although they fall outside of the traditional sources of international law, the Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions (Paris Principles) have enjoyed an authoritative value in international human rights law. International human rights bodies have increasingly permitted Paris Principles-compliant national human rights institutions (NHRIs) to participate in their activities not as part of the state but in the institutions’ own capacity, and have required states to establish NHRIs or strengthen existing NHRIs in accordance with the Paris Principles. How, then, are the Paris Principles interpreted? This study critically analyses the three principles governing the interpretation of the Paris Principles – the dynamic interpretation principle, the normative gradation principle, and the overall evaluation principle – through a comprehensive examination of the practice of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), and makes recommendations for their improvement and consolidation.