Maintaining the bond of trust with citizens is a major issue for public services and elected officials, Ombudsperson Raymonde Saint-Germain declared at the 65^th National Annual Conference of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC).

Professor Ron Paterson was appointed an Ombudsman on 4 June 2013. He follows Dr. David McGee CNZM, who retired in June 2013.

According to Nils Muižnieks, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, there are strong indications that child labour remains a serious problem in Europe and that it might be growing in the wake of the economic crisis.

The content of the letters written by prisoners to the authorities cannot be checked. However, such a situation occurred in Balassagyarmat Prison. Furthermore, in one case a disciplinary procedure was launched because of the tone of a letter. The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights has turned to the Director General of the Hungarian Prison Service to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights together with the East Ukrainian center of public initiatives held a round table discussing the access of the public to general town planning scheme and how to ensure the implementation of requirements of the legislation.

The Veterans Ombudsman Canada published a review on the support provided by Veterans Affairs Canada through its Long-Term Care Program. This review provides a basis of understanding of the Department’s current role in the funding of long-term care benefits for Veterans and addresses the areas of eligibility, accessibility and the cost of the program.

Ombudsman Ruth Cooperrider will investigate the conditions at a juvenile home run by the state of Iowa to ensure that youths are treated appropriately.

On 8 August 2013, the President of Hungary nominated Dr. László Székely as the new candidate for the position of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary, after consulting all four political groups represented in the Hungarian Parliament and discussing the basic principles and requirements regarding the nominated person.