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Covid-19 Webinar
The Covid-19 pandemic has posed many challenges for institutions and organizations worldwide working to protect the rights of the individual, and in particular the rights of vulnerable populations. Ombudsman institutions are no exception.
This Webinar brought together colleagues from 50 Ombudsman institutions around the globe, to learn about the ways Ombudsman institutions have coped and are still coping with the enormous social and economic problems generated by the pandemic, and to share the experiences they have made and the solutions colleagues have implemented in the different settings to deal with the new situation.
“The virus has exposed the divisions and inequalities in our societies,” said IOI President Peter Tyndall in his opening remarks. He explained that the pandemic has disproportionately affected those at most risk of exclusion, discrimination and poor services in our communities, i.e. those among us who find it harder to speak up. “It is incumbent on us to ensure that their voices are heard and that their rights are protected,” President Tyndall continued and congratulated Ombudsman colleagues around the world for adapting to the changed circumstances and managing to allow citizens to continue to bring their complaints forward nonetheless.
The host of this international webinar, Israel’s State Comptroller and Ombudsman Matanyahu Englman, warmly welcomed all the participants and stressed that "ensuring the rights of the individual is important at all times, but it is crucial in times of emergency such as the Covid-19 crisis we are all experiencing globally". Mr. Englman added that "our main focus when investigating a complaint during the Covid-19 pandemic is to assist the complainant by finding an appropriate solution for his needs".
IOI Secretary General Werner Amon congratulated the Office of the Ombudsman of Israel for hosting this important webinar and for successfully bringing together Ombudsman colleagues around the world in this virtual event. He underlined that one of the IOI’s objectives in this crisis is to keep communication channels open with and among IOI member institutions, in order to continue the exchange of expertise and knowledge within the international Ombudsman community. “Ombudsman worldwide have found ways and means to stay in touch and this is a very encouraging development,” said Mr Amon.
Dr. Esther Ben-Haim, Head of Office of the Ombudsman of Israel, gave a brief overview on the main findings of a special report developed by the Ombudsman on the Covid-19 crisis, which was followed by presentations from the six IOI world regions. Regional Presidents of the IOI’s African, Asian, Australasian & Pacific, Caribbean & Latin American, European and North American Region examined the exceptional circumstances from the different regional perspectives, and reported how Ombudsman in the different regions dealt with the challenges of this pandemic.
In her closing remarks, Dr. Ben-Haim summed up that "the webinar has emphasized that an important tier in the protection of the individual's rights is the cooperation between Ombuds institutions around the world, which takes expression in the sharing of knowledge and experience accumulated by every one of the institutions". She concluded that, by joining forces, Ombudsman around the world could promote the protection of individuals' rights, with the IOI playing a central role.
The Office of the Ombudsman of Israel will shortly be sending out a recording of the event and all the interventions submitted.
