Dr. Mustafa Barari was appointed as the President of the Jordanian Ombudsman Bureau (JOB) on 18 October 2015.

Despite access to justice being a core fundamental right, barriers prevent many from exercising this legal right. European Day of Justice on 25 October serves to remind us of the need to improve access to justice and raise awareness of the key role this right plays in itself and in enabling other rights to be claimed.

La iniciativa que la Defensoría del Pueblo de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires presentó en la Legislatura porteña, impulsada conjuntamente con la Casa del Encuentro, el Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Género (ELA), el Comité Argentino de Seguimiento y Aplicación de la Convención Internacional de los Derechos del Niño y la Red Internacional de Periodistas con Visión de Género en Argentina, ya cosechó más de 20 mil adhesiones a través de la popular plataforma de peticiones change.org.

In a ceremony held on 19 October 2015, the Office of the Ombudsman of The Gambia presented its new website. In her welcome remarks, Ombudsman Fatou Njie-Jallow indicated that the website is aimed at creating more awareness among citizens about the role and function of the Office and she encouraged all to make use of the online complaints service which, she indicated, would save them time and energy.

The Public Defender presented a combined bulletin of August and September. The document reviews Public Defender’s recommendations and proposals, which were submitted to the relevant agencies for further response, as well as Public Defender’s public statements on the issues of particular importance in terms of protection of human rights.

On 10 October 2015 a unique alliance of National Human Rights Institutions from all around the world adopted the Merida Declaration on the Role of National Human Rights Institutions in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This landmark document encourages all NHRIs, in line with their mandates under the Paris Principles, to collaborate in mutual capacity building and sharing of experiences to contribute to a human rights-based approach to implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Too many unresolved complaints are being taken to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman which could have been resolved by public services locally, meaning that people are left waiting longer for answers and that much needed service improvements are delayed.

The Open Government Partnership Summit 2015 “Building robust accountability systems through OGP - Learning from autonomous accountability institutions” is taking place at the Palacio de Minería, Salón Maestros, on Thursday, October 29 from 11:00am - 12:00pm. The event will also include a Panel on Accountability Institutions organised by the IOI and the World Bank.