The Ombudsman’s Office was represented by Elsa Dias, Coordinator of the Economic Rights and Taxation Unit, from 7 to 9 April in Vienna, at two initiatives dedicated to the implementation of the new directive on corporate due diligence in sustainability matters (CSDDD), which recently entered into force in the European Union. On 7 and 8 April, the Symposium on Access…
The Ombudsman has submitted a request to the Constitutional Court for a declaration of unconstitutionality, with general binding force, of article 176-C of the Penal Code, which establishes the crime of ‘acts contrary to sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression’. The petition argues that this rule, added by Article 4 of Law 15/2024 of 29 January, does not comply…
The Ombudsman’s Office has received numerous complaints about the Support Programme for More Sustainable Buildings 2023 (PAE+S). Although questions of a very diverse nature have been raised, and several are still being analysed, a first critical point has been identified in the exclusion decisions: the change in the criteria relating to the mandatory presentation of the energy certificate. The programme…
The Deputy Ombudsperson took part in the High Level Conference for Ombudsmen and National Human Rights Institutions (INDH), held on 27 and 28 March 2025 at the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg. Representing the Ombudsman, Estrela Chaby took part in this meeting promoted by the Council of Europe, under the presidency of Luxembourg, which brought together around a hundred experts…
The Ombudsman’s Office took part in the meeting of the Working Group on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), which took place in Berlin on 31 March and 1 April, on the sidelines of the Global Summit of People with Disabilities. The meeting brought together representatives…
The Ombudsman’s Office received a delegation from the Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee for the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities, as part of its fifth monitoring visit to Portugal, to discuss the human rights situation in the country. The meeting took place on 26 March 2025 at its headquarters, in Lisbon. During the meeting, the representatives of…
On 24 March, the Ombudsman’s Office took part in the 58th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which considered and debated the final report of the Working Group on the 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Portugal. Represented by the Deputy Ombudsman, Ravi Afonso Pereira, the State body valued Portugal’s efforts to fulfil its international…
The Ombudsman submitted a request to the Constitutional Court for a declaration of unconstitutionality, with general binding force, of the rules of Law no. 28/2024, of 28 February, which restored Casa do Douro as a public association and approved its statutes. The Ombudsman believes that Article 1 of Law 28/2024, which reinstated Casa do Douro as a public association, and…
From March 10 to 12, Geneva hosted the Annual Assembly and Conference of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), featuring the active participation of the Human Rights Network of Portuguese-speaking Countries. The formal presentation of this Network and its members marked a significant milestone in its consolidation and global recognition, reinforcing its commitment to advancing human rights…
On February 24 and 25, the Ombudsman’s Office received a delegation from the Kenyan Administrative Justice Commission as part of the European Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) programme on the right to information and administrative justice. The purpose of the working visit was to strengthen the capacities and competences of the Kenya Administrative Justice Commission’s research department in the…
