The Ombudsman, Mr. Andreas Pottakis, submitted the Annual Report of the
Greek Ombudsman for 2020 to the Speaker of the Parliament, Mr. Konstantinos
Tassoulas, on 31 March 2021.

Ombudsman staff who investigate complaints often say the hardest part of the job is handling the behaviour of some of the people who use their services. They may be angry, frustrated, or distressed; occasionally, they even may demonstrate threatening behaviour. Issue 6 of the IOI’s Best Practice Paper series provides guidance to help complaint handlers deal with such challenging behaviour and improve their service. 

The African Ombudsman Research Centre (AORC) in cooperation with the IOI is hosting a factilitated Zoom discussion on the Optional Protocol to The Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) and what it means in relation to the Ombudsman and its mandate of visiting places of detention. The webinar will be held on 20 April 2021 and registration is now open.

El pasado año en Alemania se publicó un informe que analizaba el alcance de la infiltración de la extrema derecha dentro de los servicios de seguridad del país. El Departamento de Interior ha aceptado la recomendación de elaborar un estudio similar respecto del cuerpo de PG-ME.

Already in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) was warning that substantial investment in mental health services was necessary to avert a mental health crisis. The evidence for the devastating impact of the pandemic on mental health is now overwhelming. The reasons for this are clear: the pandemic caused fear and anxiety for everyone, and many of us had to face illness, grief over lost family members, insecurity and loss of income

Les hacemos llegar el 13. Reporte Semanal de “Derechos Humanos en Perspectiva Internacional” (3 al 9 de abril de 2021), elaborado por el Programa de Observación y Asistencia para el Fortalecimiento de las Defensorías del Pueblo, que forma parte de la Unidad de Política Institucional de la Defensoría del Pueblo de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Argentina).

The Ombudsman, within the framework of its international cooperation with the FIO - Iberoamerican Federation of Ombudsmen, participated in the collective work "Recommendations for the incorporation of a human rights approach in environmental impact assessment".

The Office of the Ombudsman, also the National Human Rights Institution of Samoa, in collaboration with the Samoa Police and Prisons Service and the Office of the Regulator are spearheading efforts to raise community awareness in selected villages regarding the exercise of the freedom of speech and opinion and its limitations and to promote the safe use of technology and social media.