The 2014 Enabling Law of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission and the UN Paris Principles: A Critical Evaluation

• Author: Jonathan Liljeblad
• Pages: 427-428

MNHRC & UN Paris Principles 427

IX JEAIL 2 (2016)

Jonathan Liljeblad

∗

In March 2014 the Myanmar Hluttaw, or Parliament, enacted the Myanmar

National Human Rights Commission Law, which provided a statutory basis for a

national human rights body in Myanmar. The Myanmar government declared to the

United Nations Human Rights Council that the Enabling Law was compliant with

the United Nations Paris Principles that set international standards for national

human rights institutions. Despite the claims of the Myanmar government, however,



the MNHRC with anaemic powers incapable of advancing human rights. This paper

responds to such issues by conducting an independent evaluation of the MNHRC

Enabling Law under the Paris Principles. In doing so, the analysis treats the Enabling

Law as a case study demonstrating how the Paris Principles can be exercised by

third parties as the UN-supported international standards for national human rights

institutions.

Keywords

Myanmar, Enabling Law, MNHRC, Paris Principles, OHCHR, NHRIs, ICC Sub-

committee

The 2014 Enabling Law

of the Myanmar National

Human Rights Commission

and the UN Paris Principles:

A Critical Evaluation

∗ Senior Lecturer at Swinburne University of Technology Law School. B.S.(Caltech), M.S.(U. Washington), J.D./

Ph.D. (USC). ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8089-5531. The author may be contacted at: jonathan.liljeblad@

gmail.com / Address: H25 P.O. Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122 Australia.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14330/jeail.2016.9.2.06

NOTES & COMMENTS