The National Human Rights Commission of Lebanon, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT), has issued an official letter to His Excellency Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, calling for Lebanon to support the formal inclusion of Paris Principles compliant National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in the work of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

The call is made in the context of the ongoing intergovernmental negotiations to revitalise the CSW, taking place at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The Commission aligns its position with the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), which has underscored the critical contributions that NHRIs can offer in advancing gender equality and women’s rights globally.

While NHRIs currently enjoy independent participation rights in several UN bodies and mechanisms—such as the Human Rights Council, the International Migration Review Forum, and the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing—they have not yet been granted formal participation status at CSW.

The Commission emphasized that enhancing NHRI participation would not only implement existing commitments under General Assembly resolution 78/204, adopted by consensus in December 2023, but also uphold the inclusive, multi-stakeholder approach envisioned by the Pact for the Future.

In his letter, NHRC-CPT President Fadi Gerges urged Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry to consider including the formalisation of NHRI participation as a national priority in the revitalisation process. The objective is to ensure that the final CSW outcome resolution includes language enabling Paris Principles compliant NHRIs—as well as GANHRI and its four regional networks—to participate in both formal and informal CSW meetings in their independent capacity, in line with existing Human Rights Council practices.

GANHRI’s proposed draft language for the CSW revitalisation resolution includes:

• OP 2 bis: Enabling NHRI participation in informal interactive multi-stakeholder hearings.
• New OP 2 ter: Inviting Paris Principles compliant NHRIs to formally participate in all CSW meetings, reflecting GA resolutions 76/170 and 78/204.
• OP 17: Maintaining NHRI references in national consultation mechanisms.
• Additional references: Expanding the recognition to include GANHRI and regional NHRI networks.

The National Human Rights Commission reaffirms its commitment to strengthening Lebanon’s human rights positioning within the international community and stands ready to engage with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to further this goal.

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