Documenting results: A review of survey-based reports based on data from National Human Rights Institutions

National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) have become an increasingly
prominent part of the human rights landscape – nationally, regionally and
globally. Drawing on the Paris Principles over 110 countries around the world have established NHRIs. With their increased visibility has come a growing interest in documenting, measuring and understanding the work of NHRIs and their contributions to positive human rights change.

Through different processes, undertaken at global, regional and national levels, NHRIs gather and analyse data on various aspects of their work. These exercises present great potential as they generate data and knowledge to better analyse and understand the contributions of NHRIs to positive human rights change, but an overarching question emerges: are there better ways to use these valuable and underutilized data?

This review seeks to answer the following questions:

• How are surveys used to gather data and knowledge on NHRI work?
• What lessons can be learned from the practice of using the survey-based methodology for reporting on NHRI work?
• Can the NHRIs make more strategic use of the data gathering methodology that the survey-based approach represents?