NHRI/CPLP

In the context of the Ombudsman’s international activity, the co-operation work carried out with similar institutions in countries with which Portugal shares a common history, culture and language deserves particular mention.

This work has been carried out on two levels: bilateral cooperation with similar institutions and participation in the Network of Ombudsmen, National Human Rights Commissions and other Human Rights Institutions of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, the CPLP Human Rights Network.

Set up on 28 May 2013 in Lisbon, the the Network of Ombudsman, National Human Rights Commissions and other Human Rights Institutions of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, is currently made up of ten members: the Ombudsman institutions of Portugal, Angola, Mozambique and East Timor, the National Human Rights Commissions of Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, the Federal Prosecutor for Citizen’s Rights of Brazil, joined in 2015 by the Ombudsman of Cape Verde and in 2025 by the Public Defender’s Office of Brazil. The Interministerial Human Rights Commission of São Tomé and Príncipe is also a member of the network, with observer status.

The Portuguese Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, currently holds the interim presidency of the Network.

To find out more about the CPLP Human Rights Network, you can visit its page on the CPLP portal here.