At the end of February 2014, delegates at a two-day African Ombudsman Summit adopted a pioneering declaration on the minimum standards for effective ombudsman institutions and cooperation.

Violence against women undermines women’s core fundamental rights such as dignity, access to justice and gender equality. For example, one in three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15; one in five women has experienced stalking; every second woman has been confronted with one or more forms of sexual harassment.

The Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Valeriya Lutkovska, presenting the Special report on  violations of human rights during the events that took place in Ukraine from 21 November 2013 till 22 February 2014.

The ombudsman’s activity aims at providing adequate protection to vulnerable groups of society, whose rights are especially susceptible to infringement is one the ombudsman’s priorities.

In preparation of the 2014 meeting of the IOI Board of Directors, the Ombudsman of the Province of Santa Fe, Dr. Edgardo José Bistoletti, recently met with the Ambassadors of New Zealand and Austria in Argentina to invite them to attend the official opening ceremony of the meeting.

The Austrian Ombudsman Board welcomed a delegation from Tunisia with the main objective of assisting Tunisia with the establishment of a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) for the protection and promotion of human rights.

Not one complaint had been pending for longer than a year at the office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland at the end of 2013. The number of incoming complaints during the year was again a record, over 5,000.

Prof. Irena Lipowicz, the Human Rights Defender of Poland requests help for those in our direct neighbourhood who right now need it most – the people of Ukraine. Please feel free to distribute it.