About the Icelandic Human Rights Institute

No, all advice, information and assistance provided by the Icelandic Human Rights Institute is free of charge to the public.

The Human Rights Institute is not a decision-making body and does not handle individual cases. However, we provide guidance and help people direct their cases in the right direction.

However, reports from individuals can provide the organization with important information about the status of human rights issues and lead the organization to examine the issue or make recommendations to the appropriate authorities.

The Paris Guidelines are the United Nations guidelines on independent national human rights institutions. They include principles and general conditions for the role, status and functioning of human rights institutions. They require that the institutions be independent of government, have a clear legal mandate, are financially secure and can express themselves freely on the human rights situation in the country in question.