Slovenia

Slovenia’s National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up (NMIRF) is the Inter-departmental Commission on Human Rights (ICHR), composed of representatives from government ministries, statistical and law enforcement bodies, civil society, and academia. It coordinates reporting to international human rights mechanisms and monitors implementation of obligations.

INSTITUTIONAL SETUP

The Inter-departmental Commission on Human Rights (ICHR) was established by a Decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia No. 01201-2/2013/4, which was amended by Decisions No. 01201-2/2013/10, No. 01201-1/2015/3 and No. 01201-4/2024/3. These are not available in English.

Composition: The Inter-departmental Commission on Human Rights (ICHR) includes representatives from the following ministries and departments:

• Office of the Prime Minister
• All line ministries
• National Statistical Office
• Police
• Office for National Minorities
• Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants
• Civil society and academia

The mechanism includes focal points established under article 33 paragraph 1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities as well as focal points from Gender Equality Mechanisms.

Secretariat There is no permanent secretariat. The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs nominates the president and secretary and coordinates the work.

Methods of work The ICHR prepared a document entitled "Guidelines for the preparation of reports of the Republic of Slovenia and the implementation of related international activities in the field of human rights and consideration of reports of international supervisory bodies" that was adopted by the Government. These guidelines and the Rules of Procedure of ICHR are provided to all new members of the national mechanism to inform their work. Additionally, the Secretary of the ICHR is available for additional consultations, if necessary.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs nominates the president and secretary of the ICHR and furthermore organizes and coordinates its work. The relevant line ministries draft reports and follow up on recommendations but these are debated and confirmed by the ICHR prior to being adopted by the Government.

Institutional memory and training: The ICHR prepared a document entitled "Guidelines for the preparation of reports of the Republic of Slovenia and the implementation of related international activities in the field of human rights and consideration of reports of international supervisory bodies" that was adopted by the Government. These guidelines and the Rules of Procedure of ICHR are provided to all new members on NMIRF to inform their work. Additionally, the Secretary of the ICHR is available for additional consultations, if necessary.

There is an established handover procedure at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs to preserve institutional memory.

MANDATE

The Terms of Reference were defined in the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia No. 01201-2/2013/4, which established the ICHR. These are as follows:

• The ICHR coordinates reporting to ratified international instruments for the protection of human rights and freedoms, reporting based on other mechanisms, and monitors the implementation of accepted obligations in the field of human rights.
• The ICHR cooperates with the representatives of other institutions and civil society and, if necessary, invites them to its meetings.
• Every second year, the ICHR reports on its work to the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and, if necessary, proposes relevant decisions to it for adoption.

The national mechanism engages with all UN Human Rights Mechanisms and Regional Human Rights Mechanisms.

Process for the preparation of state reports The ICHR's "Guidelines for the preparation of reports of the Republic of Slovenia and the implementation of related international activities in the field of human rights and consideration of reports of international supervisory bodies" list human rights reporting obligations of the Republic of Slovenia as well as the line ministry that coordinates the preparation of specific reports. This line ministry informs the ICHR about the progress in preparing a report and presents the final version of the report to the ICHR for confirmation before it is sent to the Government for adoption.

COORDINATION

The national mechanism meets at least 3 times per year. One meeting is dedicated to civil society.

Linkages with the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals: The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development coordinates VNRs and is a member of the ICHR. No joint meetings between these two mechanisms are organized.

Channel of communication with the National Statistics Office The National Statistics Office is a member of ICHR

Channel of communication with the Parliament There is no specific channel of communication with the Parliament.

Channel of communication with the Judiciary While there is no specific channel of communication with the Judiciary for the ICHR, recommendations stemming from UN and Regional Human Rights Mechanisms are disseminated to all relevant stakeholders.

CONSULTATION

At least one regular meeting of the ICHR a year is dedicated to exchange with the civil society organizations. This is the opportunity to inform them of the ICHR's work and for the civil society to inform the ICHR of its HR concerns.

Tracking the implementation of recommendations is of each report coordinator's responsibility.

Action Plans Slovenia has a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, which is only available in Slovenian (attached).

Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Human Rights Department

Picture displayed at the top of the page: author: Jošt Gantar/slovenia.info