Human rights commission

Last updated May 10, 2025

A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights.

International

Region	Commission	Note
United Nations (Universal)	United Nations Human Rights Council	Replaced the United Nations Commission on Human Rights; distinct from the UN Human Rights Committee
African Union (Africa)	African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
Organisation of American States (Americas)	Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Asia	ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR)
Asia	Asian Human Rights Commission	Non-governmental
Council of Europe (Europe)	European Commission on Human Rights	1954 to 1998; defunct
Council of Europe (Europe)	International Society for Human Rights	Non-governmental

National or subnational bodies

National and sub-national human rights commissions have been established in a number of countries for the promotion and protection of their citizens' human rights, and most commissions are public bodies but with some degree of independence from the state. In other countries the ombudsman performs that role. The commissions below are state-sponsored except where indicated.

Africa

Country	Commission	Note
Algeria	National Consultative Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights
Bénin	Benin Human Rights Commission
Burkina Faso	National Human Rights Commission of Burkina Faso
Cameroon	National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms
Chad	Chad National Human Rights Commission
Democratic Republic of the Congo	National Human Rights Observatory
Egypt	National Council for Human Rights
Ethiopia	Ethiopian Human Rights Commission
Gabon	National Human Rights Commission
Ghana	Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice
Kenya	Kenya National Commission on Human Rights	Official body
Kenya	Kenya Human Rights Commission	NGO
Madagascar	National Human Rights Commission
Malawi	Malawi Human Rights Commission
Mali	Commission nationale consultative des droits de l’homme
Mauritania	Commissariat aux Droits de l’Homme, a la Lutte contre la Pauvreté et l’Insertion
Mauritius	National Human Rights Commission
Morocco	Human Rights Advisory Council
Niger	Nigérien National Commission on Human Rights and Fundamental Liberties
Nigeria	National Human Rights Commission
Rwanda	National Commission for Human Rights
Senegal	Senegalese Committee for Human Rights
Sierra Leone	Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone
South Africa	South African Human Rights Commission
Sudan	Southern Sudan Human Rights Commission
Tanzania	Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance
Togo	National Human Rights Commission
Tunisia	Higher Committee on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Uganda	Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC)
Zambia	Permanent Human Rights Commission
Zimbabwe	Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC)

Asia-Pacific

Country	Commission	Note
Afghanistan	Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission
Australia	Australian Human Rights Commission
	Australian Capital Territory Human Rights Commission
	Queensland Human Rights Commission
	Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
Bangladesh	Bangladesh Human Rights Commission	Archived 2013-03-18 at the Wayback Machine
Fiji	Fiji Human Rights Commission	No longer ICC-accredited
Hong Kong		Human rights complaints are referred here
India	National Human Rights Commission of India	National official statutory body
India	Kashmir Human Rights Commission	Was a state official body until replaced by NHRC.
Indonesia	National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM)
Iran	Islamic Human Rights Commission
Jordan	National Centre for Human Rights
Korea, Republic of	National Human Rights Commission of Korea
Malaysia	Human Rights Commission of Malaysia
Maldives	Human Rights Commission of the Maldives
Mongolia	National Human Rights Commission (Mongolia)
Myanmar	Myanmar National Human Rights Commission
New Zealand	New Zealand Human Rights Commission
Nepal	National Human Rights Commission (Nepal)
Pakistan	Human Rights Commission of Pakistan	non-governmental organization
Pakistan	Kashmir Human Rights Commission	UK-based non-governmental organization
Palestine	Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's Rights
Philippines	Commission on Human Rights (Philippines)
Qatar	National Committee for Human Rights (Qatar)
Sri Lanka	National Human Rights Commission (Sri Lanka)
Taiwan	National Human Rights Commission (Taiwan)
Thailand	National Human Rights Commission (Thailand)

Europe

Country	Commission	Note
France	National Consultative Commission of Human Rights (France)
Great Britain (UK)	Equality and Human Rights Commission	See also Scotland
Greece	National Human Rights Commission (Greece)
Ireland	Irish Human Rights Commission
Italy	Commissione per i Diritti Umani
Luxembourg	Consultative Commission of Human Rights (Luxembourg)
Netherlands	Equal Treatment Commission (Netherlands)
Northern Ireland (UK)	Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Scotland (UK)	Scottish Human Rights Commission	See also Great Britain
Switzerland	Federal Commission against Racism (Switzerland)
Ukraine	Ombudsman in Ukraine
United Kingdom	Islamic Human Rights Commission	Non-governmental organization

Americas

Country	Commission	Note
Canada	Canadian Human Rights Commission
	Alberta Human Rights Commission
	British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal
	Manitoba Human Rights Commission
	New Brunswick Human Rights Commission
	Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
	Nunavut Human Rights Tribunal
	Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission
	Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission
	Ontario Human Rights Commission
	PEI Human Rights Commission	Prince Edward Island
	Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse	Quebec
	Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission
	Yukon Human Rights Commission
Guatemala	Guatemala Human Rights Commission	US-based NGO
Mexico	National Human Rights Commission (Mexico)
Peru	National Human Rights Commission (Peru)
United States	Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
	United States Commission on Civil Rights
	Idaho Human Rights Commission
	Alaska State Commission for Human Rights
	Illinois Human Rights Commission
	Human Rights Commission of Salt Lake City
	Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission
	San Francisco Human Rights Commission
	New York City Commission on Human Rights
	Seattle Human Rights Commission
	Sioux City Human Rights Commission
	Salem Oregon Human Rights & Relations Advisory Commission
	International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission	US-based INGO

References

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v t e International human rights organisations and institutions
Types	Human rights group Human rights commission Human rights institutions Truth and reconciliation commission
International institutions	Committee on the Rights of the Child Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities International Criminal Court Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights UN Human Rights Committee UN Human Rights Council UN Security Council
Regional bodies	African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights African Court of Justice European Court of Human Rights European Committee for the Prevention of Torture Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Multi-lateral bodies	European Union Council of Europe Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Organisation of American States (OAS) UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) International Labour Organization (ILO) World Health Organization (WHO) UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) UN Population Fund (UNFPA) UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) UN Development Programme (UNDP) Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Major NGOs	Amnesty International FIDH Human Rights Watch Emergency NGO Human Rights First
ICRC – organization with special status based on Geneva Conventions	International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)