Nova Scotia Ombudsman William A. Smith said the year 2020-2021 has been "like no other" for his Office, as it adapted to the new normal of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Mr. Smith released his annual report today, June 29, 2021. He said the Ombudsman's office, like other services and businesses "has had to modify its approach to address changing restrictions and evolving needs."

El 10 de mayo de 2021, la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos llevó a cabo un foro de intercambio sobre los derechos laborales. Entre los participantes en este se encontraban los líderes de sindicatos nacionales, así como los representantes que se dedican a temas de seguridad y salud laboral, la fuerza laboral de los jóvenes y los derechos laborales en las instituciones gubernamentales a largo plazo, sumando un total de 13 representantes. En el foro se intercambiaron opiniones sobre temas de derechos humanos laborales y la revisión de leyes y políticas existentes.

In recent weeks, a lasting crisis concerning the People's Advocate of Romania came to a head. Earlier this year, in May, the Romanian Parliament had taken the unprecedented and legally controversial step to reject the last three annual reports of the People’s Advocate. Subsequently, on 16 June, the Parliament voted to dismiss the incumbent, Ms Renate Weber, for alleged violations of the law. This week, the Romanian Constitutional Court ruled on a challenge to this dismissal and found it to be unconstitutional.

Lors de leur assemblée annuelle qui se tenait le 16 juin dernier, les membres du Forum canadien des ombudsmans (FCO) ont élu Me Nadine Mailloux, ombudsman de la Ville de Montréal, au poste de présidente du Conseil d’administration. Ce mandat sera d’une durée de deux ans. Me Mailloux était vice-présidente du conseil depuis 2017.

The Ombudsmen of Portugal and Cape Verde, Maria Lúcia Amaral and José Carlos Delgado, signed a Cooperation Protocol to strengthen the conditions for sharing knowledge, good practices and exchanging experiences, as well as facilitating citizens’ access to their institutions.

IOI President Chris Field attended the virtual presentation of the 2020 Annual Report of the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City (Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la Ciudad de México, CDHCM) on 29 June 2021. He was joined by Dr. Raúl Lamberto, IOI Regional President for the Caribbean & Latin America, who gave a video address on the occasion.

Deputy Public Defender of Georgia Giorgi Burjanadze and representatives of the Public Defender's Office met with a delegation from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT). The rights situation of prisoners in Georgia and the ways of solving problems were discussed at the meeting.

Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today emphasized the importance of independent oversight of public services in times of crisis – and called attention to serious gaps in the areas of public health and policing. In his 2020-2021 Annual Report, the Ombudsman details how his office helped thousands of Ontarians navigate confusing and rapidly changing information about public services during the COVID-19 pandemic. From simple referrals to complex investigations, Ombudsman staff interventions bridged gaps in systems under stress.