Ombudsman’s Office attends ENNHRI Annual Assembly

The Ombudsman’s Office, represented by Sofia Duarte, was present at the Annual Assembly of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), held in Brussels on 28 and 29 October, which brought together more than 30 National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from across Europe.

The highlight of the meeting was the debate on ENNHRI’s new strategic plan for the period 2026-2029. This was an opportunity to address the challenges facing NHRIs in areas such as migration and climate change, as well as to discuss ways of strengthening the intervention of these institutions, with a particular focus on institutional resilience and responses to new threats to human rights in Europe.

During the Assembly, joint strategies were also outlined to strengthen the role of NHRIs and ENNHRI, including with regard to the securitisation of human rights and the impact of artificial intelligence, topics that will continue to be a priority in 2025.

The election of ENNHRI’s new bodies marked a pivotal moment in the Assembly. NHRI representatives from Denmark, Northern Ireland, Germany, Slovenia, Georgia and Ukraine were elected to the ENNHRI Governing Board for a three-year term.