The HRIC has been working to produce a Manual for National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) on Engagement with the United Nations System. The manual is intended to set out, in an accessible format for NHRIs and others, information about the nature of NHRI and related issues (for example, the Paris Principles, ICC Accreditation etc.) and to give practical guidance to national institutions about the different mechanisms available in the UN through which human rights can be promoted and protected. The manual includes case examples of cross-cutting issues and how the UN mechanisms can be engaged. The manual is currently in the writing stages and will be published jointly by the HRIC and the UN OHCHR’s National Institutions Unit in the coming year.

May 2009:

The OPCAT Research Team at Bristol University prepared a submission for a joint study on secret detentions that is being carried out by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Human Rights while countering terrorism. The submission discusses the role of OPCAT with regard to secret detentions.