Continuing along the lines inaugurated in the previous year, the Ombudsman’s 2023 Activities Report, delivered today to the Portuguese Parliament, gives particular prominence to problems that, across the board and repeatedly, jeopardise the good provision of public services to a wide range of citizens. Following the emphasis given in the previous report to slowness, lack of coordination between services and…
The Ombudsperson has sent a Recommendation to the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing to amend the legislation to bring the level of protection afforded to road passengers on par with the higher level afforded to rail passengers. The Recommendation now addressed to the Government is the result of an analysis of a complaint received alleging the unconstitutionality of the rules…
The Ombudsperson took part in the commemorations of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, organised by the Syndicate of Greuges in Barcelona on 1 July 2024, presenting the paper “The Portuguese penitentiary system and its monitoring by the National Preventive Mechanism”. NPM coordinator Miguel Feldmann was also present. The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture…
Within the scope of the Collaboration Protocol with the National Centre for Legal Innovation (CNIJ), set up by the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon in Bragança, the Ombudsman’s Office held its first Annual Meeting on 28 June to publicise its attributions and activities. This first initiative centred on the recent Report on Citizen Service in Public Services.…
The Ombudsman’s Office took part in the 14th Meeting of the CoE-FRA-ENNHRI-EQUINET Collaborative Platform on Economic and Social Rights, organised by the Council of Europe in Vilnius on 1 July. The event was attended by more than 30 representatives of national human rights and equality promotion institutions and focussed on young people’s access to social and economic rights at a…
On 7 June, the Ombudsman obtained the renewal of its accreditation as a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI), maintaining the maximum ‘A’ status it has held since 1999. The demanding accreditation process takes place periodically under the auspices of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), in order to assess and certify the degree of compliance of NHRIs…
The Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, spoke at the opening session of the 1st Forum of Professional Bodies. Organised by the National Council of Professional Bodies (CNOP), the event took place on 9 May in the Salão Nobre of the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon.
The Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, took part in the opening session of the IV European Congress on Child-Friendly Justice. Promoted by ComDignitatis, the Congress took place on 6 and 7 May at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.
The Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, travelled to Tábua on 10 April to preside over the solemn session commemorating Municipal Day, at the invitation of the municipality.
On 3 and 4 June, the Ombudsman, Mária Lúcia Amaral, received a delegation from Georgia, led by Ombudsman Levan Ioseliani, for a working visit that culminated in the signing of a cooperation agreement on the promotion and protection of human rights. This visit to Portugal, which allowed for an intense exchange of experiences and good practices, was organised as part…