On Monday, 7 December 2020, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) was unanimously elected as Subcommittee on Accreditation (SCA) Chairperson, for a one-year term, renewable twice. The Subcommittee session will start remotely from 7 to 17 December 2020. This session was scheduled for last March and was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The SCA is the most important body within the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). It reviews and assesses accreditation applications from 113 National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) around the world. Thus, the SCA is the only international body empowered to decide on the independence of NHRIs and their accordance with the Paris Principles, under the rules of procedure of the GANHRI.

It submits its recommendations to the GANHRI Bureau on the accreditation status that it proposes, as well as summaries of the NHRIs’ actions subject to review. It adopted as references: the United Nations Paris Principles and the SCA General Observations, which are considered as an interpretation tool of these principles.

The SCA is composed of four NHRIs accredited with "A" status. These NHRIs are required to be in full compliance with the Paris Principles, which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. It represents four regional groups: Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas. The CNDH represents the African region within this Subcommittee, besides national institutions from Canada, France and Palestine.

In addition to these members who have the right to vote, the SCA is also composed of four other institutions that have the alternate member status, as well as permanent observers: the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which also serves as the secretariat to the GANHRI and its SCA; and the regional networks of NHRIs and the GANHRI.

The SCA holds two sessions per year at which it assesses the extent to which laws and practices of NHRIs from around the world comply with the Paris Principles. It also prepares a comprehensive report on their work after the end of each session.

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