Le Président du Parlement de Wallonie, M. Willy BORSUS, a rencontré récemment le Médiateur, Marc BERTRAND. Cette rencontre s’inscrit dans la suite des rencontres sollicitées par le Médiateur à la suite de l’installation du nouveau Parlement et du nouveau Gouvernement.

Marc Bertrand a souligné l’importance des relations qui rapprochent les deux institutions, notamment au travers du rapport annuel du médiateur, dont le contenu et les recommandations sont examinées chaque année par les Commissions permanentes du Parlement, contribuant ainsi à l’exercice par ce dernier de sa mission de contrôle du Gouvernement.

Enfin, ils ont abordé les questions plus techniques de gestion des ressources matérielles du service du Médiateur.

News - Date Tuesday | 10 December 2024
Case SI/4/2024/MIK - Opened on Friday | 15 March 2024 - Decision on Friday | 06 December 2024 - Institution concerned European Commission - Country France

• Inquiry opened

  15/03/2024

• Inquiry ongoing

  15/03/2024

• Inquiry outcome

  06/12/2024

The Ombudsman has made a series of suggestions to help the European Commission ensure the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in its decision making remains accountable.

The Ombudsman welcomed that the Commission has publicly set out its approach to using AI as well as taken measures to ensure its use of AI systems complies with the recently-adopted AI Act. As many of the Act's requirements apply to AI classified as 'high-risk', the Ombudsman stressed that it was important to make sure all AI systems that support the Commission’s decision making produce accurate results, enable it to provide reasons for its decisions, and remain under effective human oversight. She asked the Commission to consider adopting a voluntary code of conduct for systems not deemed high risk to better ensure their use is in line with the principles of good administration.

The Ombudsman further noted that, while AI systems can be used as tools to support decision-making processes, decision making should not be delegated to these systems. She proposed that civil servants responsible for human oversight of AI receive adequate training on the risks and errors produced by AI systems and on how to critically examine and verify AI-produced results. Internal working procedures should also make clear that staff responsible for the oversight of AI systems are encouraged to depart from the systems’ suggestions in specific situations.

The Ombudsman also underlined the importance of transparency when it comes to ensuring public trust that the EU administration will use AI responsibility. She encouraged the Commission to reflect on what information it will make publicly available around future AI projects and to consider carrying out public consultations on the possible adoption or development of powerful new AI tools.

For AI systems that produce decisions or replies to the public, the Ombudsman proposed the Commission examine the need to proactively inform the public about the fact that a reply was prepared with the assistance of AI as well as about the nature of the AI assistance provided.

The Ombudsman’s proposals are based on an information-gathering exercise, for which the Commission had provided her with details about its use of AI in three particular areas—the analysis of public feedback, the discovery of potential infringements of EU competition rules, and complaint handling.

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International Human Rights Day was celebrated on 10 December, a date that marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948, and with which the Ombudsman associates himself.

Human rights are a matter for all of us, an everyday issue. You only have to go out into the street or watch the news to see that, 76 years on, there is still a long way to go to fully fulfil them, in Portugal and around the world. Poverty, social exclusion, inequality, discrimination and violence continue to affect far too many people, regardless of their circumstances or condition.

It is therefore essential to commemorate this day. A day in which we celebrate human rights and the progress that has been made, of which there are many, but more than anything, in which we reflect, with the impetus to act now, on the challenges that still remain, which leave us with an unrealised future.

‘Our rights, our future, now’ is the name of the campaign promoted by the United Nations to highlight the concrete impact of human rights, highlighting examples of success and practical solutions to the most important global issues. This initiative calls for a collective mobilisation to protect everyone’s rights, both individual and collective, as an essential response to building a more just, equitable and promising future.

It calls for commitments that we have to take off the drawing board and translate into the lives of individuals and communities, moving from aspiration to the realisation of human rights. These are commitments that bind us all, an individual and collective responsibility that unites us as human beings, inseparable from the dignity that is due to everyone simply for being human.

Because realising human rights is everyone’s responsibility, and the challenges of fully realising them persist, we therefore need renewed commitment from everyone, from public decision-makers to civil society, from citizens to schools. This responsibility is also shared by the Ombudsman, whose DNA, by constitutional definition, is the promotion and protection of fundamental rights, and to whom everyone can turn.

‘Our rights, our future, now’. I borrowed this title because protecting human rights means protecting the present and the future. To this end, education – in itself a human right – is fundamental, starting from an early age to instil in our children and young people an awareness of human rights, and passing on basic values such as solidarity, justice and equality. This is also, once again, everyone’s responsibility: schools, families, communities, but also the Ombudsman.

It is in this spirit that the Ombudsman will launch the ‘The future of rights is now’ competition in 2025, the year in which the institution celebrates its 50th anniversary, inviting children and young people from all over the country to reflect creatively on the most pressing human rights issues in their daily lives, which can then be materialised in the format that best represents them. These works will then be put together in an exhibition at the Ombudsman’s headquarters, extending the reflection to anyone who wants to visit us.
Because I believe that all of us, regardless of who we are or where we come from, want ‘our rights, our future, now’.

Maria Lúcia Amaral
The Ombudsperson

2024-12-11

"On December 10, 2024, 76 years passed since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This day has a special historical value and dates back to December 10, 1948, when the United Nations General Assembly approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Even 76 years after the adoption of this important international act, Georgia faces the challenge of ensuring that fundamental human rights and freedoms are equally protected and accessible to each individual, considering the principles of equality.

Traditionally, the Public Defender, in a statement specially dedicated to this day, emphasizes all the main challenges that exist in the country in terms of protecting human rights and freedoms. However, this year, instead of assessing various issues, I decided to focus on and respond to the important, main and the most acute issue.

Since November 28, the Public Defender’s Office has been actively monitoring the protests ongoing in Tbilisi and the regions of Georgia, and we have been constantly assessing the situation of human rights in the country.

As I have already noted in a number of my assessments, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental human rights that must be protected. However, we all see that the main challenge in terms of protecting the right to assembly that has emerged during these protests is that instead of taking individual and proportionate measures in response to the violation of the law by a small group of participants, the State, and in this case the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is making decisions to crack down on the entire assembly. The Public Defender once again calls on the Ministry of Internal Affairs to make special efforts in such cases and to respond to the unlawful actions of individuals by implementing individual, proportionate responses.

The next issue, which I have repeatedly assessed, concerns the ill-treatment of individuals during the crackdown, which requires timely and objective investigation, so that the impunity syndrome does not incite violations of the law and does not lead to even more serious consequences.

My representatives and I personally visited 327 people detained and injured after November 28:

From November 28 to December 10, we have visited 327 people detained and injured during the protests.

Of these, 225 people indicate ill-treatment.

157 people have visible injuries.

Once again, I call on the Special Investigation Service to conduct prompt and effective investigative actions.

The public is also aware that December 9 is the Human Rights Defenders Day. Journalists are also human rights defenders, and this year I would like to focus on them. Unfortunately, during the recent period, many journalists and media representatives have been injured, several of them are still in medical institutions, their work has been hindered, and their physical safety and life have been threatened. It must be said once again that each of these cases must be investigated, the relevant persons must be held accountable, and the State must ensure the creation of a safe environment for journalists to work. On my part, I would like to thank each of you, journalists and cameramen, for your work.

Finally, the State and relevant institutions are responsible for the protection of human rights and the safety of each person; It is unacceptable for unknown groups to physically assault people on the streets or create such groups under the pretext of protecting public order or citizens. The State is obliged to respond to this and to prevent physical or other confrontations between the individuals and violations of human rights.

Anlässlich des Internationalen Tages der Menschenrechte, der auf den Jahrestag der Verabschiedung der Allgemeinen Erklärung der Menschenrechte 1948 – nach den Gräueltaten im Zweiten Weltkrieg – durch die Generalversammlung der UNO fällt, erinnert die Verantwortliche der Antidiskriminierungsstelle daran, dass Demokratie und Menschenrechte keine Selbstverständlichkeit sind