Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Dr. Ákos Kozma hosted Excellency, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Hungary Mr. Oybek Shakhavdinov in his office on 15 April 2024.

During the bilateral meeting, Dr. Ákos Kozma provided information on the responsibilities and competences of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, with special regard to the activities performed for the protection of the most vulnerable social groups. The bilateral meeting focused on the questions of the development of the relations of the public institutions of the two countries involved in the protection of fundamental rights.

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r. Ákos Kozma and his staff members conducted an on-site inspection at the Tököl Remand Prison on 11 March 2024 in the framework of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). The Ombudsman was received by Prison Lieutenant General, National Commander of the Hungarian Prison Service Dr. Tamás Tóth, Prison Brigadier General, head of cluster 2, Governor of Budapest Strict and Medium Regime Prison Dr. Zoltán Bozsó, as well as Prison Colonel, commander of the institution Mr. László Salgó.

During the visit, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary was informed, among others, on the operation of the institution with a capacity of 1273.

The Ombudsman will draw up a report about the visit.
 

On 1 March 2024, Dr. Ákos Kozma paid an official visit to Luxembourg, where, among others, he met with the Ombudswoman of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Ms. Claudia Monti.
During the bilateral meeting, the parties gave a brief overview of the institutions led by them, they shared their respective responses to, and best practices related to the fundamental rights challenges that have emerged in their practice. Dr. Ákos Kozma provided information on the extension of the competences of the Office as well.

The modernisation of the Balassagyarmat-based Ipolypart Fészek Children’s Home was completed as part of the ombudsman’s children’s home renovation programme. Similarly to the previous years, this year, it was again the National Headquarters of the Hungarian Prison Service (BVOP) and the state forestry companies, including Ipoly Erdő Zrt that took part in the refurbishment of the building. In the delivery of the revamped building, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary Dr. Ákos Kozma, State Secretary for Forests and Land Affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture Mr. Péter Zambó, as well as the representatives of the National Headquarters of the Hungarian Prison Service took part.

In his speech, Ombudsman Dr. Ákos Kozma thanked for the efforts taken by the leaders and staff members of the participating institutions, and he also expressed his hope that a high number of children’s homes would still be refurbished as part of this programme, which can be considered good practice.

State Secretary for Forests and Land Affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture Mr. Péter Zambó explained that after the region of Szombathely and Veszprém, as well as that of Baranya, now it is in Nógrád County that the programme has achieved tangible results. This is the fifth time when an institution for children has been renovated with support from a state-owned forestry company. The cooperation well illustrates that the forestry companies manage their funds by serving the public good. They take part in a high number of important social missions for which a stable basis is provided by their forest management activities.

The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary pays special attention to rights of children. In this spirit, he continuously monitors the enforcement of children’s rights in Hungary, so, among others, he pays regular visits to Hungarian child protection institutions. The report issued in the wake of the Ombudsman’s visit to the special children's home in the village of Rum in the summer of 2021 disclosed some deficiencies in the condition of the building housing the institution. In order to remedy this situation and give direct assistance, in addition to his rights protection activity, the ombudsman’s children’s home renovation programme was launched at the initiative of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights in 2021, with the participation of National Commander of the Hungarian Prison Service, Prison Lieutenant General Dr. Tamás Tóth and State Secretary for Forests and Land Affairs Mr. Péter Zambó.

In the ombudsman’s children’s home renovation programme initiated by Dr. Ákos Kozma, so far, several children’s homes have been renewed: the Rum Special Children’s Home, the Veszprém-Gyulafirátót Temporary Children's Home e, the Ipolypart Fészek Children’s Home in Balassagyarmat, as well as the Baja and Szentlőrinc Group Homes of the Saint Ágota Child Protection Service of the Szeged-Csanád Diocese.

Dr. Ákos Kozma, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary, paid an official visit to Bucharest on 18 January 2024, where he had a meeting with the Romanian People’s Advocate, Ms. Renate Weber. During the bilateral meeting, the two Ombudspersons discussed their current working relationship, its growth, and how to strengthen it further. They also explored potential avenues for future collaboration.

During the bilateral meeting, Dr. Ákos Kozma informed about the expansion of his Office’s mandate. As of 1 January 2023, the Hungarian Ombudsman will assume the functions of an independent mechanism under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary, through its Directorate General for Disability, has created a strong and powerful department that will provide a separate independent mechanism for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in the country, in line with the CRPD.