João Lázaro and Tiago Fidalgo de Freitas took up office on 7 September as Deputy Ombudsmen. The ceremony, presided over by the Ombudsperson, Luísa Neto, was held at the Library of the Ombudsman’s Office and also marked the end of the terms of office of Estrela Chaby and Ravi Afonso Pereira, publically acknowledging them with due recognition by the institution they served in an exemplary way.

João Lázaro has dedicated his professional career to defending and promoting the rights of victims of crime and violence. He served as Chief Executive Officer of the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV) from 2012 to 2026 and as President of Victim Support Europe. He has also worked as a lawyer and trainer specialising in this field.

A legal scholar, lecturer and researcher, Tiago Fidalgo de Freitas is an Invited Assistant Professor at the University of Lisbon School of Law and Executive Coordinator of the Lisbon Public Law Research Centre. His academic and research work has focused particularly on Constitutional Law and Fundamental Rights, Administrative Law, European Union Law and Public International Law.

Las medidas de protesta impulsadas por el profesorado el curso pasado han tenido un impacto directo en las actividades educativas y en el seguimiento personalizado del alumnado
 

Con el inicio del nuevo curso escolar, miles de alumnos han regresado este martes a las aulas después de un año marcado por las movilizaciones del profesorado. Algunas de las decisiones adoptadas como medida de protesta laboral el curso pasado, como la supresión de las colonias y salidas escolares y la eliminación de los comentarios personalizados en los boletines de notas, podrían haber vulnerado los derechos del alumnado y de sus familias, según una resolución de la síndica de greuges de Cataluña, Esther Giménez-Salinas.

Un curso con menos oportunidades educativas fuera del aula

La institución del Síndic de Greuges considera que las colonias y salidas escolares, a pesar de no formar parte de la enseñanza obligatoria, están integradas en los proyectos educativos de los centros y son espacios de aprendizaje, convivencia y desarrollo personal especialmente valiosos para los alumnos.

Cancelarlas tiene un impacto especialmente importante entre los alumnos con menos oportunidades socioeducativas, para quienes estas experiencias a menudo constituyen su principal contacto con actividades culturales, científicas o de convivencia fuera de su entorno habitual. Por este motivo, la institución del Síndic de Greuges advirtió que eliminarlas por motivos ajenos a criterios pedagógicos contradice el principio de máximo aprovechamiento que debe guiar el sistema educativo.

Menos información para las familias

Otra de las medidas que ha generado mayor controversia ha sido la eliminación de los comentarios personalizados que el profesorado escribe en los boletines de notas de muchos centros educativos. Para muchas familias, estos comentarios son una herramienta pedagógica imprescindible para entender el progreso académico de cada alumno, detectar dificultades específicas e identificar aspectos que pueden mejorarse.

La falta de este retorno cualitativo ha limitado la información disponible sobre la evolución educativa de los estudiantes y ha dificultado el seguimiento individualizado de los procesos de aprendizaje. En este sentido, la institución recordó que las familias y los alumnos tienen derecho a recibir información completa y de calidad sobre su rendimiento y desarrollo educativos.

El malestar docente se mantiene

Hoy, el curso escolar ha comenzado con una nueva huelga del profesorado que denuncia, entre otras cosas, el deterioro de sus condiciones laborales debido al aumento de la complejidad de las aulas, la sobrecarga burocrática, el incremento de las tareas administrativas y la falta de reconocimiento profesional.

En este contexto, la síndica reconoce la legitimidad de las reivindicaciones docentes y la necesidad de impulsar reformas estructurales que permitan mejorar las condiciones laborales del profesorado y la calidad del sistema educativo. Ahora, con el inicio del nuevo curso, el reto consiste en recuperar la normalidad en los centros y garantizar que las reivindicaciones laborales no vuelvan a traducirse en una reducción de las oportunidades educativas del alumnado.

Según recuerda la institución, las actividades fuera del aula y la información personalizada sobre el aprendizaje son elementos que expertos e instituciones consideran fundamentales para una educación de calidad y para la igualdad de oportunidades de todos los estudiantes.

On September 4, 2026, Levan Ioseliani, Public Defender of Georgia, met with Christophe Kamp, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), who is in Georgia on a working visa.

The Public Defender introduced the OSCE Commissioner to the activities of the Office in the field of protecting the rights of national minorities, spoke about the challenges reflected in the annual reports and the recommendations developed to address the challenges. Other topics discussed at the meeting included the rights situation of national minorities in the country, as well as the issues of language barrier, education, access to information and services.

The meeting was also attended by Irine Chikhladze, Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, and Anne-Cécile Leyvraz, Political and Legal Adviser to the OSCE High Commissioner.

Following his June visit to France, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty addressed a letter to the French Minister for Autonomy and Persons with Disabilities, encouraging systemic improvements in long-term care facilities (EHPADs).

While welcoming reforms, including enhanced oversight and the commitment of care staff to residents’ dignity, well-being and human rights, the Commissioner points to several challenges:

• He recommends improving staff/resident ratios, providing the necessary resources for recruitment and training, supporting staff retention, and upgrading facilities that are in disrepair, cramped, or ill-equipped for climate change.
• The Commissioner also calls for strengthened inspections, including through increased cooperation between relevant authorities, with a focus on residents’ human rights and quality of life.  Expanding home- and community-based care should go hand in hand with ensuring adequate resources for rights-respecting residential care.
• Lastly, the Commissioner recommends combating ageism and ensuring that older persons are treated as full rights holders and meaningfully involved in decisions affecting them.

• Read the Commissioner’s letter addressed to the Minister responsible for Autonomy and Persons with Disabilities of France
• Read the Minister responsible for Autonomy and Persons with Disabilities of France’s reply (in French)

The Parliamentary Ombudsman of Malta, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, has congratulated Professor Ülle Madise following her election by the Estonian Parliament as President of the Republic of Estonia.

Professor Madise was elected on 2 September 2026 during an extraordinary sitting of the Riigikogu, receiving 71 votes and exceeding the two thirds majority of 68 required by the Constitution. Her candidacy had been proposed by 75 Members of Parliament. 

Her election represents a significant moment for the international Ombudsman community. Professor Madise has served as Estonia’s Chancellor of Justice since 2015 and was appointed for a second term in 2021. A distinguished constitutional lawyer and academic, she has combined extensive experience in constitutional law, public administration and the protection of fundamental rights. 

The Estonian Chancellor of Justice is a particularly broad independent constitutional institution. In addition to exercising Ombudsman functions, the institution reviews the constitutionality of legislation, serves as the National Preventive Mechanism under OPCAT and as Ombudsman for Children, and since 2019 has operated as Estonia’s National Human Rights Institution. It was awarded A status under the UN Paris Principles in 2020 and also performs the independent monitoring functions under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Throughout her tenure, Professor Madise has made an important contribution to European and international Ombudsman cooperation, consistently promoting independence, constitutional safeguards, human dignity and practical solutions to problems encountered by persons in their dealings with public authorities.

She has also maintained a close and valued relationship with the Office of the Ombudsman in Malta.

In October 2025, Professor Madise was a guest speaker at the International Ombudsman Conference organised in Malta to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Office. She participated in the session entitled Embracing Technological Innovation: The Ombudsman’s Role in the Age of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence. 

Drawing on Estonia’s extensive experience in digital government, she reflected on the balance between technological innovation and human freedom. She warned against assuming that greater security could justify excessive technological control and emphasised the responsibility of Ombudsman institutions both to recognise the benefits of innovation and to ensure that technology does not undermine fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Her contribution carried a clear message: technological development must remain centred on the person. As she emphasised during the conference, technology must serve people and not the other way round. The discussion reflected wider concerns surrounding surveillance, personal data, automated decision making and the need to preserve meaningful human control as public administrations increasingly adopt digital and artificial intelligence systems. The Office’s 2025 Annual Report subsequently highlighted her contribution and her warning against excessive surveillance. 

Professor Madise’s election to the highest office of the Republic of Estonia follows more than a decade at the head of an institution dedicated to constitutional legality, good administration and the protection of rights. In her address following the presidential election, she placed particular emphasis on trust and cautioned against the notion that the State should presume to know how persons should live, think or conduct their affairs. 

Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon described Professor Madise as a highly respected colleague and a valued friend of the Office of the Ombudsman in Malta, whose contribution to the international Ombudsman community has been substantial.

On behalf of the Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Zammit McKeon conveyed his warm congratulations to Professor Madise on her election and wished her every success in the service of the people of Estonia.

Her election is also a source of satisfaction for the wider Ombudsman community, recognising a career distinguished by commitment to constitutional democracy, independent oversight, good administration and the protection of fundamental rights.