The Commissioner for Education within the Office of the Ombudsman, Chief Justice Emeritus Vincent De Gaetano, was invited by Pepperdine University’s Benjamin Caruso School of Law to deliver a short presentation during the 2025 Religious Freedom Conference held at the Château d’Hauteville in Vevey, Switzerland, between the 11th and 13th June. The international event brought together legal scholars, jurists, practitioners, and human rights advocates to discuss contemporary issues and challenges surrounding religious freedom mainly in the United States and in Europe.
Chief Justice De Gaetano participated in the Friday morning plenary session titled "Antisemitism and Higher Education: Concerns and Challenges." In his presentation, he reflected on his initial surprise at the invitation, believing that antisemitism was largely under control in Europe due to strong legal protections like the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, he acknowledged more recent reports by the Council of Europe highlighting rising antisemitic narratives -- particularly in connection with conspiracy theories, the war in Ukraine, and wider geopolitical tensions.
Drawing on a number of legal and philosophical sources, including Deuteronomy, Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, and St Augustine, the Commissioner referred to the role of education, especially at the compulsory level, in cultivating a proper understanding of human dignity. He questioned whether antisemitism and other forms of hate speech in higher education warrant special legislative responses or whether such issues are better addressed through a robust, principled application of general human rights law.
The Commissioner cautioned against hasty administrative or legislative measures that may erode the rule of law, noting that such responses can often exacerbate the problem rather than mitigate it. He concluded by emphasising the foundational importance of justice, human dignity, and the responsible use of democratic tools to combat discrimination in all its forms.
The full text of the Commissioner’s presentation can be downloaded below.
El Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, ha presidido este lunes en la sede de la institución la reunión del Consejo Asesor del Mecanismo Nacional de Prevención de la Tortura y otros Tratos o Penas Crueles, Inhumanos o Degradantes (MNP).
A lo largo del encuentro el director del MNP, Miguel Paneque, ha presentado el informe de actividad correspondiente a 2024. Paneque ha repasado las cuestiones más relevantes desarrolladas los últimos meses y ha avanzado el programa de trabajo para el año en curso.
En la reunión han participado los miembros del Consejo Asesor del MNP: Vicenta Esteve, psicóloga clínica; Maite Parejo, abogada; Luis Andrés Cucarella, catedrático de Derecho Procesal en la Universidad de Valencia; Mª Estefanía del Toro, psicóloga social; Ester Pascual, abogada, y Luis F. Nieto, abogado.
Han asistido también a la reunión la adjunta primera del Defensor del Pueblo, Teresa Jiménez-Becerril; la adjunta segunda, Patricia Bárcena; el secretario general del Defensor del Pueblo, José Manuel Sánchez Saudinós, que actúa como secretario del Consejo, y la asesora del Gabinete del Defensor del Pueblo, Blanca Cheli.
Author: National Coordination of Italian regional Ombudsmen
Article language: it
In occasione della riunione del Coordinamento Nazionale dei Difensori Civici, svoltasi ad Alghero il 20 e 21 giugno 2025, si è registrata la significativa presenza di due ospiti istituzionali di rilievo: Xavier Cañada Bonaetxea, Raonador del Ciutadà d’Andorra, e Javier Hernández Garcia, già Lugarteniente del Justicia de Aragón (Spagna).
Il loro contributo ai lavori ha confermato la centralità crescente della Difesa Civica italiana nel panorama europeo, quale modello di riferimento per il confronto sui diritti fondamentali, l’accesso alla pubblica amministrazione, la mediazione istituzionale e la protezione delle persone vulnerabili.
Dopo essere stati ospiti a Roma nel settembre 2023 e a Cassino nel settembre 2024, la loro partecipazione ai lavori di Alghero rappresenta una tappa ulteriore di un dialogo costante e proficuo, improntato alla condivisione di buone pratiche, alla costruzione di una rete tra Difensori civici europei e al rafforzamento della cultura dei diritti.
Il Coordinamento ha sottolineato come il confronto con esperienze consolidate come quelle dell’Andorra, con una forte vocazione alla tutela del cittadino in un contesto istituzionale snello, e dell’Aragona, custode di una delle più antiche istituzioni di garanzia in Europa, sia fonte di ispirazione e stimolo per il rafforzamento della Difesa Civica in Italia.
Nel corso dei lavori è stata ribadita la volontà di proseguire lungo il percorso di internazionalizzazione del Coordinamento, anche in vista dei prossimi appuntamenti europei – tra cui la conferenza a Bruxelles promossa dal Mediatore Europeo (novembre 2025) – e della futura costituzione di una rete informale euro-mediterranea di Difensori civici, che possa contribuire alla diffusione dei valori di trasparenza, responsabilità pubblica e accesso effettivo ai diritti.
Il Vicepresidente del Coordinamento, Guido Giusti, Difensore Civico della Regione Emilia Romagna ha dichiarato: “Il confronto internazionale non è solo un’occasione di scambio, ma un’opportunità per migliorare la qualità della nostra azione quotidiana. Avere ad Alghero figure autorevoli come il Raonador d’Andorra e il rappresentante del Justicia de Aragón ci spinge a rafforzare l’identità europea della Difesa Civica italiana e a costruire insieme un futuro di diritti più accessibili e garantiti per tutti.”
Come ha sottolineato anche il Presidente del Coordinamento, Marino Fardelli, Difensore Civico della Regione Lazio “la Difesa Civica italiana è oggi riconosciuta come un interlocutore credibile e autorevole nel contesto internazionale. Le relazioni con Andorra, Aragona e altri partner europei sono non solo motivo di orgoglio, ma soprattutto uno stimolo a fare sempre di più e meglio per garantire una tutela civica concreta e universale”.
A government that truly serves its citizens makes plans that are realistic and feasible. Cabinet plans should never lead to unrealistic or unlawful plans for which others would get the blame if and when things go wrong. That is what the Ombudsmen write in their 2024 Annual Report. They are critical of the outgoing Cabinet that had said that it would look at all possibilities. “We saw a government that ignored signals, advice and rights and thus systematically sidetracked groups of citizens.”
In 2024, 27.000 citizens, children and veterans contacted the National Ombudsman, Ombudsman for Children or Ombudsman for Veterans for help. This is an increase compared to the previous year. Many of the complaints could have been prevented if the government had listened to signals from society sooner.
Involve those who are affected
This is why the Ombudsmen called on public authorities to: listen to citizens and involve them in the process of making laws and regulations. This also applies to administering agencies. Their knowledge of what works in practice is underutilised. This results in policies that affect people but did not involve them in their development.
Examples are school transport that does not meet the needs of children with disabilities or municipalities that label emotional citizens as being ‘aggressive’ and break contact with them without investigating the reason for their behaviour. In addition, advice from institutions that should protect the state under the rule of law are not taken seriously. This is the case with new asylum legislation, for example, which resulted in improper governance.
Reinier van Zutphen, National Ombudsman: “If signals from society, administering agencies and supervisory institutions are not heard or are deliberately ignored, citizens will pay the price. The state under the rule of law does not protect itself. It requires a government that listens systematically and makes well-considered decisions.”
More to impress than for the good of citizens
According to the Ombudsmen, actually helping people does not appear to be a priority in political debate. “Bills, motions and amendments are designed more to impress than for the good of citizens. Unrealistic promises create wariness and undermine trust and confidence in the government, particularly among the people for whom the plans were intended.”
There are plans to improve the accessibility of services, for instance, but long-term investments in administering agencies and municipalities are lacking. And although generous compensation was promised to those affected by the benefits scandal, parents have now been waiting an average of 78 weeks for a response to their objection. There is still no solution for tens of thousands of parents.
Acknowledge mistakes and fix them
The Ombudsmen acknowledge that the government will never be flawless. But when things go wrong, citizens should have the confidence that the government will acknowledge and rectify the problem. Yet this often still goes wrong. In 2024, the National Ombudsman published his third report on Q fever patients. These patients are still waiting for apologies, recognition and help. 15 years on and despite repeated requests by the Ombudsman, apologies have still not been received.
But there are also good examples. The Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (Education Executive Agency of the Netherlands, DUO) acknowledged that an algorithm had discriminated against students with a migrant background when checking their eligibility for student grants. DUO apologised and is working on financial compensation for the affected students. So it is possible to treat people fairly. “Attaining your rights is not something that you first have to earn. Nor is it something that you only get once things have gone wrong”, write the Ombudsmen. “The government must always treat everyone in a proper manner. Even in cases where it is not a matter of moral or other guilt, or recovery.”
‘Deafening silence’
For the second consecutive year, the National Ombudsman is presenting its Annual Report to the House of Representatives during a caretaker period. While people are desperate for solutions, the Cabinet is standing on the sideline and politicians look on. Four years ago, Van Zutphen spoke of a caretaker silence after the fall of the Rutte III Cabinet. His opinion now is harsher: “It has been truly deafeningly quiet over the past two years.”
According to the Ombudsman, the government has been letting people muddle along. “The benefits scandal is never-ending, reinforcements in Groningen have been delayed by four years and fuel poverty is being combated with emergency funds. There are no long-term solutions even though people are entitled to fair and effective governance.” Van Zutphen calls on politicians to: “Listen to what people need, be honest about what the government can and cannot do, and above all: do what you promise. It is time to take responsibility and act for the citizens of today and for future generations.
Join the African Ombudsman Research Centre, the research and training arm of the African Ombudsman and Mediators' Association, for their High-level webinar on n Strengthening Ombudsman Impact. This event, organised in partnership with the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), will take place on Tuesday, 15 July 2025 at 10 am (GMT+2). Kindly click here to see the Save-the-Date note.
Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé’s tenth Annual Report, released on 25 June 2025, reflects record and near-record complaints in several areas of his jurisdiction, including those focused on the rights of vulnerable children, people with disabilities, inmates and Ontarians seeking services in French.
El Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, ha concluido la tramitación parlamentaria del Informe anual 2024 de la institución, tras comparecer el 18 de junio de 2025 en el Pleno del Senado.
A government that truly serves its citizens makes plans that are realistic and feasible. Cabinet plans should never lead to unrealistic or unlawful plans for which others would get the blame if and when things go wrong. That is what the Ombudsmen write in their 2024 Annual Report, which is availiable now.
The English and Spanish versions of the 2024 Annual Report of the Control Yuan (CY) have now been released. In 2024, the CY received 15,342 people’s complaints; issued 283 investigation reports; passed 27 impeachment cases and 1 censure case, as well as proposed 101 corrective measures cases.
The Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Mr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput, inaugurated the one-of-its-kind Climate & Disaster Justice Unit, a pioneering initiative to ensure expeditious and justifiable redressal of complaints stemming from climate-related and man-made disasters. The Unit will be a fast-paced mechanism resolving issues of delay, corruption, or neglect in relief, rehabilitation and public service delivery. It will be working on safeguarding vulnerable groups, inclusive governance, and coordination with UN agencies, NGOs, and civil society.
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia’s Special Committee to Appoint Statutory Officers is currently accepting applications for the position of Ombudsperson. The deadline for applications is Friday, August 8, 2025. Kindly click here for more information.
On 12 June 2025, the Office of the Ombudsman in Malta officially launched its 30th Anniversary commemorations with a Thematic Lecture held at the Plenary Hall of the House of Representatives. Entitled “Transparency, Fairness, Accountability: Cornerstones of Good Administration – The Mandate of the Ombudsman,” the lecture brought together Members of Parliament, senior public officials, civil servants, academics, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders for a timely reflection on the essential values that underpin good governance and public administration.
On the occasion of the meeting of the National Coordination of Italian Regional Ombudspersons, held in Alghero on 20–21 June 2025, two distinguished international guests took part in the proceedings: Xavier Cañada Bonaetxea, Raonador del Ciutadà of Andorra, and Javier Hernández Garcia, former Lugarteniente of the Justicia de Aragón. Their active participation confirmed the growing centrality of the Italian Ombudsman system in the European context, particularly in matters relating to fundamental rights, access to public administration, institutional mediation, and the protection of vulnerable individuals.
Malta
