The Ombudsman’s Office, the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI), took part in the United Nations Social Forum 2024, held on 31 October and 1 November in Geneva. The event, attended by the Office’s Deputy Sofia Duarte, was attended by representatives of governments, NHRIs and civil society organisations from various countries, among others. representatives of governments, NHRIs and civil society organisations…
The Ombudsman’s Office is concerned about the lack of protection for migrants with documents that have expired, and calls for the dissemination of information on the subject to be stepped up among public administration services and foreign citizens in Portugal. This concerns the situation of migrants from countries outside the European Union (EU) and applicants for international protection, since a…
The Ombudsman’s Office welcomes the recent amendment to the Rules of Procedure of the Guimarães Municipal Assembly, which expands citizens’ participation in all sessions of the body, including extraordinary ones. This amendment was approved on 27 September 2024, following an intervention by the Ombudsman’s Office, prompted by a complaint questioning the failure to hold a period for the public to…
The Ombudsman’s Office, represented by Deputy Ombudsman Ravi Afonso Pereira and Advisor André Neves, took part in the International Ombudsmen Forum on Climate Change and Human Rights, held in Bacu, the capital of Azerbaijan, on 2 October. The event was organised by the Azerbaijani Ombudsman and comes ahead of the 29th United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP29),…
The Network of Ombudsmen, National Human Rights Commissions and other Human Rights Institutions of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries – CPLP Human Rights Network – held its seventh meeting in Lisbon on 26 September 2024. Chaired by the Ombudsperson of Portugal, Maria Lúcia Amaral, the meeting brought together the Ombudsmen of Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and East Timor, the…
The Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, was heard by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees on 10 September, to present the Annual Activity Report for 2023, including the National Prevention Mechanism Report. To listen to the hearing, click here.
The Ombudsman’s Office, as a member of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AOM), took part in the association’s Extraordinary General Assembly held in Cyprus on 25 September. During the meeting, the Cyprus Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights was elected Vice-President of the AOM. The following day, the Ombudsman’s Office also took part in the Conference on ‘The…
The Ombudsman’s Office joined the launch of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) project ‘Rights without Borders: Cooperation to Strengthen Human Rights in Detention Centres for Migration Purposes in Portugal’. The initiative, which took place in Lisbon on 25 September 2024, is part of the mission to contribute to the promotion and defence of the human rights of foreign people…
The Ombudsman’s Office took part in the 11th edition of the INDH Academy, an annual initiative of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) and the Organisation for Security and European Cooperation (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which took place from 17 to 21 June in Bratislava. The 2024 edition addressed securitisation issues 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…
