The Public Defender’s Office of Georgia has been reaccredited with “A” status by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) in October 2024, confirming the full compliance of the Office with the requirements of the UN Paris Principles. “A” status is the highest assessment that a national human rights institution can receive within the UN system.

National human rights institutions are granted “A” status if they fully comply with the UN Paris Principles, and “B” status when they partially comply with these principles. The GANHRI Sub-Committee on Accreditation assesses national human rights institutions for accreditation purposes in every 5 years. The Public Defender’s Office of Georgia has held “A” status continuously since 2007.

The Paris Principles, which set out the main criteria that national human rights institutions must meet to achieve “A” status, were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1993. These principles ensure the effective functioning of national human rights institutions and, among other things, set a requirement for the institutions to have a broad mandate, be independent in their decisions and have sufficient resources to effectively carry out their mandate. The Paris Principles are an extremely important document that establish the highest standards for UN Member States, which is necessary for national human rights institutions to be considered truly independent institutions.

NHRIs with “A” status enjoy a high reputation, both internationally and regionally. In particular, “A” status confirms the independence of NHRIs, emphasizes their objectivity and authority at the international level. In addition, NHRIs with “A” status are given the opportunity to participate in the sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in an independent capacity, alongside states and non-governmental organizations. In addition, “A” status gives NHRIs the authority to submit to the Human Rights Council written opinions, statements, and views relating to the agenda. They are also given the opportunity to hold parallel events during the regular session of the Human Rights Council, to participate in intergovernmental negotiations in the process of adoption of Council resolutions and decisions; as well as to submit a video message to the regular session of the Council, etc.