This follow-up report shows that since our report in 2023 there has been progress in how the healthcare system provides information to patients on waiting lists.

Of the 34 recommendations we made, 32 have either been fully or partially met.

Key improvements include:

• a dedicated ‘Waiting Times’ website and a new mobile App allowing patients and carers to view personal medical records.
• new text and letter notification systems to provide regular status updates to patients and their carers
• a more transparent framework explaining exactly how trusts manage and prioritise their waiting lists
• the early development of a ‘support while waiting’ program, designed to help patients manage their physical and mental wellbeing while they are on a waiting list.

Read the report here.

Summary of the decision: The Parliamentary Ombudsman has reviewed the formulation of repayment notifications sent by the Swedish Migration Agency to individuals who had been paid a daily allowance. The Parliamentary Ombudsman concludes that such notifications are non-binding decisions, and in his decision states the requirements that therefore follow from the service obligation in the Swedish Administrative Procedure Act (SFS 2017:900).

Among other things, the Parliamentary Ombudsman states that a public authority inducing an individual to make a repayment must explain its position so that the individual can understand why the authority considers them to have a payment obligation. It must also be clear that this is the authority’s opinion and that the matter has not yet been finally decided. The request must not be formulated so that it can be taken for a decision whereby the authority orders the individual to repay a certain amount.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman criticises the Swedish Migration Agency because the notifications failed to meet the service obligation placed on public authorities in their contacts with private persons.

Le Médiateur de la Wallonie et de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Nicolas Lagasse, a récemment rencontré Valérie Lescrenier, Ministre de l'Enfance, de la Jeunesse, de la Famille, des Maisons de Justice, du Tourisme et du Patrimoine.
Cette rencontre a permis d'aborder les différents enjeux liés aux compétences ministérielles et de réaffirmer la complémentarité entre le Médiateur et les administrations.

 Un rôle de soutien et d'accompagnement

Le Médiateur a présenté ses missions et rappelé les principes de bonne administration qui fondent son action. Il a souligné l'utilité de la médiation en présentiel et la complémentarité du Médiateur dans la démarche de simplification administrative, en lien direct avec les Déclarations de politique régionale et communautaire.

Nicolas Lagasse a également évoqué le droit à l'erreur, fil rouge de son rapport annuel 2025, qui s'inscrit dans une logique d'amélioration continue des services publics.

Des thématiques variées au cœur des échanges

Plusieurs sujets ont été abordés lors de cette rencontre.

Concernant l'Office de la Naissance et de l'Enfance (ONE), le Médiateur a évoqué les problèmes liés à l’accessibilité des services. La Ministre a souligné le rôle d'acteur du Médiateur permettant de faire remonter les informations des usagers dans l'intérêt d'améliorer les services et de valoriser la bonne administration.

La question des Maisons de Justice a occupé une place importante dans les échanges. La Ministre a rappelé qu'il s'agit d'une matière récemment transférée aux communautés disposant de moyens limités. Elle a souligné que chaque Maison de Justice a des besoins spécifiques en fonction de son territoire et a valorisé le caractère volontariste du personnel. Ce sont 900 agents qui doivent gérer 45 000 mandats, représentant 30 000 personnes, un travail colossal en constante augmentation, notamment en raison des décisions fédérales liées à la surpopulation carcérale et au recours accru au bracelet électronique.

Le Médiateur a évoqué les principes de bonne administration, également appelés normes ombuds. La Ministre a répondu qu'elle est très attentive aux contacts humains, gage d'efficacité dans la relation avec les usagers.

Dans le domaine de l'Aide à la Jeunesse, le Médiateur est saisi de peu de réclamations, sans doute dû à une triangulation possible avec les SAJ et SPJ. Il a évoqué le dossier sensible de l'adoption internationale, soulignant que le Médiateur joue une fonction "signal" permettant de faire remonter l'information pour anticiper les difficultés et trouver des solutions, dans une logique de soutien à la bonne action administrative.

Enfin, concernant les dossiers liés au Tourisme, le Médiateur a identifié un manque de communication de l'administration en matière de subventions. Pour le Patrimoine, les quelques réclamations adressées au Médiateur sont principalement liées à des questions de délai.

Cette rencontre a permis de réaffirmer la complémentarité entre le Médiateur et les administrations, dans une logique d'amélioration continue des services rendus aux citoyens.

Across the world, the sirens of the climate crisis have shifted from distant warnings to devastating realities. We are not only driving our planet to its breaking point, but are also witnessing serious impacts on human rights. We see the evidence every day: lives are lost, health is at risk, and people are forcibly displaced as homes are levelled and livelihoods erased.

The heaviest price is being paid by the most vulnerable. The impacts of climate change undermine our social fabric, fuel insecurity and political instability, and drain national economies. Most notably, they affect those who are often least responsible for the warming of our planet, exacerbating existing inequalities.

Yet, environmental protections and commitments are being rolled back in too many places, often in pursuit of political and economic gains. Short-termism, climate denial, and attacks on science continue to undermine global climate action. Those who speak up to protect our planet too often face repression when they should be supported.

International and regional courts, including the European Court of Human Rights in its landmark 2024 KlimaSeniorinnen judgment, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its historic 2025 Advisory Opinion, have provided guidance on how state obligations under international human rights law and beyond are actionable in the context of climate change. The law is clear: states have a duty to limit and address the adverse human rights impacts of climate change. Failure to take appropriate action is a breach of duty that carries a range of legal consequences.

Fulfilling these responsibilities requires limiting global warming to 1.5°C by taking effective steps to cut emissions, including those caused by private actors. It also requires building resilience through adaptation measures that address specific protection needs, and safeguarding the rights of all people to access justice, information, and effective participation.

Respect for the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities of states remains key. By ensuring a just transition from fossil fuels to clean energy and aligning investments with rights-based strategies, we can support equitable and sustainable climate action and protect vulnerable communities. Because no state can navigate this devastating storm alone, international cooperation is the only vessel that will hold.

This is why I am following with close attention the current negotiations in New York on a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly, introduced by the leadership of the Republic of Vanuatu and the Core Group of States. This initiative aims to translate the 2025 ICJ Advisory Opinion into concrete, multilateral action. The world’s most affected people are demanding a bridge between legal blueprints and meaningful climate action – one that operationalises state responsibility, increases transparency, and addresses climate-related loss and damage, as well as reparations. These efforts should be strengthened and supported – not diluted by compromise.

At the end of April, three years after the General Assembly first requested the ICJ’s guidance, UN member states will cast their votes. I recognise that today our eyes are understandably fixed on the devastating reality of wars across our globe and the immediate need for peace. Yet we cannot afford to treat the climate crisis as a secondary concern. It remains one of the greatest existential threats to humanity and our planet, acting as a multiplier of global instability and human suffering.

I urge Council of Europe member states to lead by example by sponsoring and securing the adoption of this resolution. We have the science and the legal framework; now we need the political will to translate them into action. The future of humanity depends on whether we act to build a world in which peace, human rights, democracy, the rule of law, and climate protection are treated as the single, inseparable mission they are.

- Michael O'Flaherty