ANNI Report 2025: On the Performance of National Human Rights Institutions in Asia

Foreward 

The Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) is the one and only network of NGOs in the world that advocates for independent, effective, credible, and accountable national human rights institutions (NHRIs), in line with the “Paris Principles,” which were established in 1991 and adopted by the United Nations in 1993. 

Against the backdrop of an ever-shrinking civic space and the consequent human rights violations across Asia, NHRIs are potential sources of positive change, and at their best, of solidarity with victims, survivors, and their families.

ANNI’s latest report on the Performance and Establishment of Asian NHRIs covers the period of January 2023 to December 2024. It has been two years since the last ANNI Report was published to coincide with FORUM-ASIA’s 10th Asian Human Rights Defenders Forum. This 2025 Report is a testament to ANNI’s continued commitment to its mandate of assisting and encouraging NHRIs to closely collaborate with civil society amidst a challenging human rights landscape marked by dwindling resources.

While critical of NRHIs’ shortcomings vis-à- vis international standards, the report also recognizes their strengths and highlights best practices that could, hopefully, inspire other NHRIs to follow suit. Replicating best practices can help bring victims of human rights violations closer to their unyielding search for truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-repetition.

When NHRIs are truly victim-centered and respond to the needs of the very people for whom they exist, only then can they confidently say that they have given meaning to their establishment.

The 2025 ANNI Report chronicles the diverse situations of NHRIs in Asia: the strengths and limitations of their mandates; their achievements within their respective situations; their challenges, successes, and shortcomings in complying with international standards; and their varying degrees of success in engaging with civil society organizations (CSOs) in promoting and protecting human rights for all. 

The report strives to objectively conduct both qualitative and quantitative assessments of the performance of NHRIs. True to its constructive approach, this report outlines doable recommendations. These recommendations can be transformed into advocacy efforts and eventual victories worthy of replication among neighboring Asian countries and beyond. 

Each country chapter is written by an expert, highlighting relevant historical backgrounds, political contexts, and mandates to elucidate how NHRIs function, giving a baseline for their successes, failures, and ways forward.

The Timor-Leste chapter, for example, highlights the Provedoria dos Direitos Humanos e Justiça’s active engagements with CSOs as well as its lack of response to the human rights violations endured by the LGBTQIA+ community and persons with disability. The report objectively portrays the paragon that PDHJ is in one aspect, while also capturing its inadequacies in addressing equally important rights of marginalized sectors. It highlights both the institution’s strengths and weaknesses, with the goal of helping NHRIs reach their fullest potential through actionable recommendations.

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