El Defensor del Pueblo de Navarra, Patxi Vera, se ha reunido esta mañana con el Presidente de la Cámara de Comptos de Navarra, Ignacio Cabeza del Salvador. En la reunión, celebrada en la sede de la institución, se han tratado temas de interés para ambas instituciones de ámbito parlamentario. También se han explorado posibilidades de colaboración en diferentes ámbitos, entre otros, la formación.

En la misma también ha participado Fermín Erbiti, responsable de Comunicación de la Cámara de Comptos, y Patxi Vera ha estado acompañado por el Secretario General de la institución, Carlos Sarasíbar, y la Jefa de Gabinete, Susana Galilea.

Gathered on 27 and 28 April 2022 in Strasbourg for a European Network of Ombudsmen conference on "The Role of Ombudsmen in Times of Crisis", organized within the framework of the French Presidency of the European Union;

Concerned by the description of the situation in Ukraine given at this conference by Ukrainian Ombudsman Liudmyla Denisova

We, Ombudsmen and Chairs of Petition Committees,

Reaffirm our full solidarity with Ukrainians who are the victims of a war of aggression, which is leading to acts that may be qualified as war crimes or even crimes against humanity;

Reiterate our support for our counterpart, Liudmyla Denisova, Ukrainian Ombudsman;

Welcome the Council of the European Union’s decision to activate the temporary protection mechanism, which grants immediate protection to Ukrainian refugees. This is the first time the directive has been activated since it was adopted in 2001;

Remain vigilant as to the continued implementation of this mechanism and to the reception conditions for refugees in our various countries;

Share Liudmyla Denisova’s deep concern about the fate of adults, children and orphans who have been forcibly moved to Russia;

Share her fears regarding respect for the rights of displaced persons and the risk of trafficking and exploitation of children and adults, and call for an independent international investigation to obtain more information on their situation;

Call on our Russian counterpart to carry out her role, with regard to the national authorities, in protecting the fundamental rights of all persons, regardless of their origin and without discrimination of any kind, and with particular attention to displaced people or refugees in Russia.

We, Ombudsmen and Chairs of Petition Committees,

Remain alert, in the context of this war and the arrival of refugees, to the respect by European countries of their international commitments, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Convention, the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the European Convention on Human Rights.

• Claire Hédon, La Défenseure des droits, France
• Jérôme Aass et David Baele, Médiateurs fédéraux de Belgique
• Marc Bertrand, Médiateur de Wallonie et fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Belgique
• Catherine de Bruecker, Médiatrice de la région de Bruxelles, Belgique
• Claudia Monti, Médiatrice du Grand-Duché du Luxembourg
• Emily O’Reilly, European Ombudsman
• Anthony C. Mifsud, Ombudsman of Malta
• Stanislav Křeček, Public Defender of Rights of the Czech Republic
• Martina Stamm-Fibich, Vorsitzende des Petitionsausschusses des Deutschen Bundestages, Germany
• Angel Luna Gonzalez, Sindic de Greuges de Valencia, Spain
• Adele Squillaci, Médiatrice de la Région autonome Vallée d'Aoste, Italy
• Matthias Crone, Bürgerbeauftragter des Landes Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
• Angel Gabilondo Pujol, Defensor del Pueblo, Spain
• Erika Leonaite and Milda Vainiuté, Parliamentary Ombudspersons of the Republic of Lithuania
• Peter Svetina, Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia
• Petri Jääskeläinen, Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland
• Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, United Kingdom
• Marino Fardelli, Difensore Civico della Regione Lazio, Italy
• Renate Weber, People’s Advocate of Romania
• Diana Kovatcheva, Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria
• Rob Behrens, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, United Kingdom
• Beate Böhlen, Bürgerbeauftragte des Landes Baden-Württemberg, Germany
• Ülle Madise, Chancellor of Justice of Estonia
• Dolores Fernández Galiño, Ombudsman of Galicia, Spain
• Tena Šimonović Einwalter, Ombudswoman of the Republic of Croatia
• Tuomas Pöysti, Chancellor of Justice of Finland
• Maria Lúcia Amaral, Ombudsman of Portugal
• Jesús Maetzu Gregorio de Tejada, Ombudsman of Andalusia, Spain

Réunis les 27 et 28 avril 2022 à Strasbourg, à l’occasion d’une conférence du Réseau européen des Médiateurs sur « le rôle des Médiateurs en temps de crise », organisée dans le cadre de la Présidence française de l’Union européenne ;

Inquiets du rapport de situation qui a été fait à cette occasion par l’Ombudsman ukrainienne, Liudmyla Denisova ;

Nous, Médiateurs et Ombudsmans,

Réaffirmons notre entière solidarité avec les Ukrainiennes et les Ukrainiens victimes d’une guerre d’agression qui conduit à des actes susceptibles d’être qualifiés de crimes de guerre voire de crimes contre l’humanité ;

Réitérons notre soutien à notre homologue, Liudmyla Denisova, Ombudsman ukrainienne ;

Saluons l’activation par le Conseil de l’Union européenne du dispositif de protection temporaire qui octroie une protection internationale immédiate aux réfugiés ukrainiens. Il s’agit de la première mise en œuvre de cette directive, adoptée en 2001 ;

Restons vigilants à la continuation de la mise en œuvre de ce dispositif et aux conditions d’accueil des réfugiés dans nos différents Etats ;

Partageons les vives inquiétudes de notre homologue quant au sort des adultes, enfants et orphelins qui ont été déplacés de force vers la Russie ;

Partageons ses craintes quant au respect des droits des personnes déplacées et au risque de traite et d’exploitation des enfants et adultes et appelons à une enquête internationale indépendante pour avoir plus d’informations sur leur situation ;

En appelons à notre homologue russe pour qu’elle assure à l’égard de ses autorités nationales son rôle de protection des droits fondamentaux de toute personne, quelle que soit son origine et sans discrimination d’aucune sorte, et avec une attention accrue pour les victimes déplacées ou réfugiées en Russie.

Nous Médiateurs et Ombudsmans,

Restons par ailleurs attentifs au respect par les Etats européens dans ce contexte de guerre et d’arrivée de réfugiés, de leurs engagements internationaux et notamment la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme, la Convention de Genève, la Convention internationale relative aux droits de l’enfant, la Convention européenne des droits de l’Homme.

• Claire Hédon, La Défenseure des droits, France
• Jérôme Aass et David Baele, Médiateurs fédéraux de Belgique
• Marc Bertrand, Médiateur de Wallonie et fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Belgique
• Catherine de Bruecker, Médiatrice de la région de Bruxelles, Belgique
• Claudia Monti, Médiatrice du Grand-Duché du Luxembourg
• Emily O’Reilly, Médiatrice européenne
• Anthony C. Mifsud, Ombudsman of Malta
• Stanislav Křeček, Public Defender of Rights of the Czech Republic
• Martina Stamm-Fibich, Vorsitzende des Petitionsausschusses des Deutschen Bundestages, Allemagne
• Angel Luna Gonzalez, Sindic de Greuges de Valencia, Espagne
• Adele Squillaci, Médiatrice de la Région autonome Vallée d'Aoste, Italie
• Matthias Crone, Bürgerbeauftragter des Landes Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Allemagne
• Angel Gabilondo Pujol, Defensor del Pueblo, Espagne
• Erika Leonaite and Milda Vainiuté, Parliamentary Ombudspersons of the Republic of Lithuania
• Peter Svetina, Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia
• Petri Jääskeläinen, Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland
• Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Royaume-Uni
• Marino Fardelli, Difensore Civico della Regione Lazio, Italie
• Renate Weber, People’s Advocate of Romania
• Diana Kovatcheva, Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria
• Rob Behrens, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Royaume-Uni
• Beate Böhlen, Bürgerbeauftragte des Landes Baden-Württemberg, Allemagne
• Ülle Madise, Chancellor of Justice of Estonia
• Dolores Fernández Galiño, Médiatrice de la Galice, Espagne
• Tena Šimonović Einwalter, Ombudswoman of the Republic of Croatia
• Tuomas Pöysti, Chancellor of Justice of Finland
• Maria Lúcia Amaral, Médiatrice du Portugal
• Jesús Maetzu Gregorio de Tejada, Médiateur d'Andalousie, Espagne

Publication of the Ombudsman’s Annual Report 2021

The Ombudsman has prepared and published the 2021 Annual Report on the progress made in such areas as civil and political rights, social, economic and cultural rights and children’s rights. Key developments in raising public awareness and international cooperation are also listed. On April 21, the Ombudsman presented the report to the Members of the Parliament.

Ombudsman Juris Jansons: “I appreciate that, at the beginning of last year, I was entrusted with leading the team of the Ombudsman’s Office for a third consecutive term. In the last ten years, much has been done to significantly improve the importance and role of human rights in Latvia, but just as much remains to be done."

The Ombudsman has concluded the research study “Situation of Roma in Latvia”

The Ombudsman has concluded the research study “The situation of Roma in Latvia”. The study investigates the experience of seven local governments in such areas as cooperation with the Roma community, children’s education, housing support and social assistance. The Ombudsman highlighted examples of good practice and made recommendations to improve the situation of Roma.

The Ombudsman has asked the Ministry of Education and Science to evaluate and provide information on the work of the pedagogical medical commissions of local governments, and the alleged practice of unjustifiably placing Roma children in special educational institutions or providing education in inappropriate special educational programmes. The Ombudsman has also asked for information on whether Roma children who are taught in accordance with special educational programmes are provided with teacher assistants from the Roma community.

Announcement of the winners of the Ombudsman’s Moot Court Competition in Human Rights 2022

The oral section of the annual moot court competition in human rights (including the final) took place at the Ombudsman’s Office on 30 April. This year’s theme was asylum-seeking procedures on the Latvian-Belarusian border.

The competition was won by the team “Sapere aude” (participants Viktorija Gilberte, Alise Gailīte and Teresa Vāgentroca) from the University of Latvia. The team won the main prize - an opportunity to participate in the European Law Students’ Association’s Summer School at Zadar University, Croatia, where they will study various topics related to human rights and globalisation.

The Ombudsman’s Office sincerely congratulates all participants and extends a huge thank you to all teams, coaches, supporters and helpers, as well as to our supporters — the Constitutional Court, Latvijas Vēstnesis (the official publisher of the Republic of Latvia) and the Courthouse Agency.