The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Taiwan was established on August 1, 2020 as a preventative body with statutory powers aimed not at the pursuit of government functionaries or agencies for violations or liabilities but at the protection of human rights. The position, function, mission, and working methods of this body differ from those of the Control Yuan; it can conduct visits, research, or systematic national inquiries into potential human rights issues, and then propose suggestions for flexible improvements or amendments to legislation.
Since its establishment, all members of the NHRC have worked diligently to fulfill their duties to ensure the creation of an independent, specialized, and pluralistic national human rights institution that works in accordance with the Paris Principles. The NHRC members aim to uphold the institution as “the conscience of Taiwan and an advocate for the disadvantaged,” and by promoting and implementing various functions and duties, it enables human rights services to continue to progress.
As the NHRC has been in operation for only two years, its relevant working methods are still in the process of being actively established. The concluding observations and recommendations from the international reviews of the four human rights conventions conducted in Taiwan in 2022 mention requirements to strengthen the NHRC’s ability to receive complaints, supervise the implementation of human rights conventions, and increase its active engagement with international human rights organizations.
Under the leadership of Chairperson Chu Chen and the assistance of Vice Chairperson Jung-Chang Wang, the NHRC has successfully established a number of basic working methods, including “NHRC’s Operation Manual for the Preparation of Independent Assessments of National Reports and for Participation in International Reviews of the Human Rights Conventions,” “NHRC’s Operating Standards for Supervising the Implementation of the Concluding Observations of Human Rights Conventions,” and “NHRC’s Procedures for Handling Human Rights Petitions and Complaints.”
The Vice Chairperson of the NHRC, Jung-Chang Wang, has supervised the investigation into cases where the NHRC’s working methods were insufficient. Particularly, he assisted the NHRC in supervising the independent evaluation of the Second National Report regarding the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and helped to develop the NHRC’s independent supervisory mechanism for the CRPD, plan an accessibility complaint system, construct numerous important overall measures for the NHRC, and establish the NHRC’s institutional working mechanism. In the foreseeable future, he will assist in the consultation and development of the NHRC’s 2023–2026 Medium-term Strategic Plan, for which the explanations will be provided.