Control Yuan President Chang Po-ya welcomed all 11 new CY members at a pre-inauguration meeting held January 18, 2018, two days after the nominees were approved by the Legislative Yuan. In a speech at the gathering, she expressed the expectation that all members will work together in exercising their constitutionally-granted independent ombudsman powers in order to ensure good governance.

The Chancellor of Justice is a one-person, independent constitutional institution appointed to office by the Riigikogu on the proposal of the President of the Republic for a term of seven years. The Chancellor’s task is to make sure that legislation in Estonia is in conformity with the Constitution and that the fundamental rights and liberties of people in Estonia are protected. Besides constitutional review and ombudsman functions, the Chancellor also fulfils the role of national preventive mechanism for ill-treatment and ombudsman for children. Once a year, the Chancellor presents an annual report of his or her activities to the Riigikogu.

With eyes on the effects in the wake of the hurricanes of September 2017, and considering that in a short four months’ time the next hurricane season will be upon us, the Ombudsman Dr. Nilda Arduin now gears attention to the preparedness of the country for the 2018 hurricane season. The Ombudsman has resolved to conduct a systemic investigation regarding: The state of preparedness of the government of Sint Maarten pursuant to the National Ordinance Disaster Risk Reduction and the Disaster Management Plan.

El Ministerio de Trabajo, Empleo y Seguridad Social, cumpliendo con la recomendación 855/17 de la PPN,  publicó en el Boletín Oficial la Resolución 11-E/2018, sustituyendo el artículo 3º de la resolución 270/15 garantizando así el derecho a quienes hayan cumplido la totalidad de su condena, ya que las  ofertas de empleo no podrán contener restricciones debido a  antecedentes penales.

Dunja Mijatovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) was today elected as the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights by the Organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) at its plenary session in Strasbourg.

Ombudsman Toronto released a report on an Investigation into Toronto Community Housing Corporation’s Medical and Safety Risk priority transfer process for tenants. Ombudsman Susan Opler made 21 recommendations to improve fairness and to serve tenants with the most serious health and safety concerns related to their units.

The latest edition of the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales’ Casebook is now available. This edition contains summaries of reports issued by the Ombudsman between October and December 2017, including two public interest reports. Issue 15 of the Code of Conduct Casebook has also been published and contains summaries of investigations into complaints that members of local authorities have broken their code of conduct.

 

By default, Magyar Posta [the Hungarian postal service] allows the delivery of registered mail to blind and partially-sighted persons only in the presence of a witness of full age. According to the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, this practice is in violation of the right to equal dignity and the country’s international human rights commitments.