Artificial intelligence (AI) driven technologies are increasingly present in our daily life, including in home appliances and social media applications. This brings great opportunities but also involves risks with real and serious consequences for individuals, including potential breaches of their human rights.

From the beginning of this year until mid-August, the National Prevention Mechanism (NPM) of Portugal has carried out 21 monitoring visits to places of deprivation of liberty. Of the 21 visits made, 13 went to prisons, four to Temporary Settlement Centers and Matched Spaces (EECIT), two to Educational Centers and two to places of detention by the police.

The Ombudsman has called for a formal mechanism to be put in place to compel the public administration to act upon his recommendations. This comes as a number of public service providers failed to act upon the recommendations made in respect of five complaints lodged with the Ombudsman’s office. These involve the Gibraltar Electricity Authority, the Gibraltar Health Authority, the Housing Authority and the Driver and Licensing department.

On the occasion of its 20^th anniversary, the Office of Federal Ombudsman of Belgium hosted the quadrennial conference of the IOI’s European Region in Brussels in October 2018. The event invited Ombudsman colleagues to discuss “The Ombudsman in an open and participatory society”. Conference presentations and papers are now available online in the “Member Area” of the IOI website.

La Oficina en México del Alto Comisionado de Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (OACNUDH) presentó en la sede de la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la Ciudad de México (CDHCM) el Diagnóstico sobre el Funcionamiento del Mecanismo para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas (MPPDDHyP).

The Ombudsman of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Leon Jenkins-Johnston esq. and team from the Office of the Ombudsman has engaged Senior Police officers at various divisions in the western Area. The engagement is part of the ongoing sensitization drive that the ombudsman started few months ago to meet with MDA’s.

For the first-time ever, the International Ombud Expo 2019 scheduled to hold in Sheraton Abuja, Nigeria from 28 – 31 October, 2019 will include a special event dedicated to showcase through pictures, sharing of experiences, and expert discussions the contributions of women leaders in these institutions. Women have contributed immensely towards the development and impact of ombudsman and related oversight institutions across the globe. But this influence has remained largely unnoticed.  More so, there is no systematic data available anywhere on this.  The special event is aimed at closing this gap

 

The Queensland Ombudsman’s report, The Forensic Disability Service report: An investigation into the detention of people at the Forensic Disability Service, was tabled by the Honourable Curtis Pitt MP, Speaker of the Queensland Parliament on Thursday 22 August 2019.