On 20 December 1993, the UN General Assembly adopted by its resolution the so-called Paris Principles that obligate the member states to establish a national human rights institution in accordance with the principles formulated in the resolution.
As of 1 January 2019, the Chancellor of Justice is the national human rights institution (NHRI) in Estonia.
The Chancellor of Justice’s activities as a national human rights institution and its compliance with the Paris Principles are assessed every five years through an international accreditation process organized by the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). The committee consists of four members representing human rights institutions from different regions of the world.
In the spring of 2025, the UN Sub-Committee on Accreditation decided to grant the Chancellor of Justice, for the second time, the highest (A) accreditation status as a national human rights institution.
A-status allows the Chancellor of Justice to participate in and speak at the UN Human Rights Council and other international human rights forums. It also enables more active involvement in international human rights cooperation.
