Under the new Constitution of 2015 the mandate of the Human Rights Defender (HRD) has been expanded by including the power to facilitate the improvement of the regulatory legal acts related to human rights and freedoms. Following the Constitutional Amendments, a new Constitutional Law on Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia was adopted in December 2016. Within this constitutional function, a new practice of drafting laws by the HRD Office is being exercised.

 

The Human Rights Defender's Institution became full member of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children. Full membership will provide new opportunities for the exchange of experience and necessary information.

 

An international workshop on “Good Environmental Governance” was hosted by the Office of the Ombudsman of the Basque Country (Ararteko), Manuel Lezertua, and held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, this week.

El defensor del Pueblo de la provincia, Raúl Lamberto, y el profesor Hugo Quiroga, encargado del equipo de investigación, explicaron en Capital Federal la génesis y el desarrollo del trabajo que auditó el cumplimiento de políticas públicas a nivel local desde el enfoque de Derechos Humanos.

Defensores y Defensoras de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes de las Provincias de Córdoba, La Pampa, Misiones, Santa Fe y Santiago del Estero –con el apoyo de UNICEF Argentina– se reunieron este lunes y martes en el 1° Encuentro Nacional de Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos de niñas, niños y adolescentes realizado en la ciudad de Posadas, Misiones. El objetivo del encuentro fue generar un espacio de intercambio de experiencias, lecciones aprendidas y buenas prácticas en la promoción y protección de derechos de la niñez desde el ámbito defensorial y acordar un plan de trabajo común entre las cinco Defensorías específicas de niños, niñas y adolescentes. 

On 16 May 2018, the Inspector-General of Taxation (IGT), Mr Ali Noroozi, announced an investigation into the allegations made during the ABC Four Corners program, aired on 9 April 2018, regarding Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) use of garnishee notices. Garnishee notices are the most common form of firmer action used by the ATO to recover tax debt. Such notices require third parties to pay the money they owe to a taxpayer to the ATO in satisfaction of the tax debt owed by that taxpayer. Accordingly, the cash flow of affected taxpayers may be disrupted with potentially severe impact on vulnerable small businesses and individuals.

Le Médiateur de la République a eu plusieurs séances de concertation avec les conseils communaux de Tanguiéta et de Matéri à Tanguiéta, les Associations villageoises de gestion des réserves de la faune (AVIGREF) et les responsables de la nouvelle administration qui gère actuellement le Parc de la Pendjari les 2 et 3 mai 2018. Ces séances de concertation se situent dans le cadre des activités des audiences foraines organisées par l’institution du Médiateur de la République. L’objectif visé est la recherche d’un mieux-être et d’une bonne administration au service des populations. Le but est aussi d’appuyer tous les acteurs impliqués dans la préservation du Parc de la Pendjari aux fins d’avoir une meilleure gouvernance administrative.

Following reports of continued political killings in KwaZulu-Natal, Public Protector Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane has raised concerns about the safety of whistle-blowers linked to an investigation she is conducting in one of the province’s municipalities. Last October, Adv. Mkhwebane launched an investigation into allegations of maladministration, corruption and imprudent use of public funds by the Umzimkhulu Local Municipality. The investigation is in connection with the appointment and payment of service providers for the refurbishment of the dilapidated Umzimkhulu Memorial Hall.