Bridging the Gap: Le Nazioni Unite e le istituzioni nazionali per i diritti umani

National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) remain relatively unknown in Italy, where such an entity has yet to be created. The variety of forms and functions that NHRIs can assume is not helpful in defining these bodies, which, however, are now widespread globally and have long played a significant role in the promotion and protection of human rights – not only within their respective countries, but at the international level as well. In this respect, increasingly over the years, NHRIs have built strong ties with several bodies of the United Nations, including Charter-based and treatybased bodies. This article examines in detail the multifarious relationship between NHRIs and the United Nations; it concludes that NHRIs represent a fundamental partner for the United Nations with a view to strengthening the implementation of international human rights norms, and that Italy should therefore swiftly establish its own NHRI.