On the side-lines of the ICC Annual Meeting in Geneva on 22 March 2016 IOI President John Walters and IOI Secretary General Günther Kräuter took the opportunity to meet with Kate Gilmore. Kate Gilmore is the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights and therefore at the forefront of mainstreaming human rights on an international level.

La Cámara Nacional Electoral del Poder Judicial de la Nación solicitó a la División de Asuntos Electorales de la Secretaría General de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) que valore la posibilidad de proporcionar cooperación y asistencia en la formulación de medidas tendientes al fortalecimiento de los procesos electorales en Argentina. Ante este pedido, la División Electoral de las Naciones Unidas envió una misión de evaluación de necesidades a la Argentina, compuesta por cuatro expertos y funcionarios internacionales.

A delegation led by the head of Médiateur du Faso, Ms. Alima Déborah Traore, visited the Control Yuan (CY) on the morning of March 8, 2016. They first met with CY President Dr. Chang Po-ya at her office; then the two sides signed a cooperation agreement in the CY plenary meeting. Ms. Traore also expressed her sympathy to the affected in the great earthquake that struck Tainan last month, and observed a minute’s silence before delivering a speech on the same occasion.

The Japanese IOI Member and the Administrative Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, held an International Forum and Training Workshop for Asian Ombudsman institutions from 7 – 10 March 2016.

The Defensor del Pueblo has argued that, facing the daily arrival of thousands of refugees in Europe, the European Union ought to present a common and coordinated response which guarantees humanitarian reception, relocation and integration of refugees in their host society.

On 23 February 2016, Mr Arman Tatoyan has been elected as Human Rights Defender of Armenia. Mr Tatoyan follows the former Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasian, who resigned in January 2016.

Le bilan du Médiateur du Faso pour l’année 2014 est satisfaisant. L’institution a travaillé dans un contexte particulier comme vous le savez. Contexte fait de tensions au niveau socio politique, qui s’est achevé par l’insurrection populaire dans le dernier trimestre de l’année.

Ottawa, March 10, 2016 – The 42nd Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator was tabled today in Parliament. The Correctional Investigator, Mr. Howard Sapers, used this opportunity to take stock of the current state of corrections in Canada and highlight some important challenges.