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On 13 July at the ongoing Conference for National Human Rights Institutions in Vilnius, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė stressed that independent national human rights institutions (NHRI) were important for bridging the gap between the government and civil society, and as instruments for communication and collaboration.

“An active national human rights institution with certain powers can provide an institutionalized, independent focal point and physical location for communication and collaboration by government and civil society to take place,” Lithuanian Foreign Vice-Minister said at the conference, which was organized by the Lithuanian Chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

According to the Vice-Minister, we need such institutions because the communication between civil society and government breaks down quite often and then human rights and the society suffer in the present world.

“Our real-life environment has become increasingly more complex. There are an ever-growing number of issues that governments cannot handle on their own. Communication between civil society and government too often breaks down. In this process human rights suffer; the society as a whole suffers,” A.Skaisgirytė Liauškienė said.

The Vice-Minister believes that it is the duty of national human rights institutions to provide assistance to the OSCE participating States in implementing their OSCE commitments in the sphere of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

At present there are no fewer than 41 NHRIs in the OSCE participating States. The Vice-Minister said that Lithuania had begun the process for establishing such an institution.   

On 13-14 July, Vilnius University hosts the Conference for National Human Rights Institutions, which is attended by representatives from national human rights institutions, governments and civil society. Participants are discussing opportunities for NHRIs to bridge the gap between government and civil society and to encourage their dialogue and cooperation.

The participants of the event participants have an opportunity to share their ideas and experiences with representatives from specific institutions: parliaments, government, judiciary and civil society.

Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Janez Lenarčič also spoke at the opening of the conference and thanked the Lithuanian Chairmanship for its forward looking decision to choose the empowerment of national human rights institutions as this year’s priority.

The conference formulated proposals for the improvement of opportunities for national human rights institutions to assist governments in observing international human rights standards and OSCE commitments that can serve as a basis for taking appropriate decisions at the OSCE Ministerial Council in December in Vilnius.