IOI | Commissioner for Human Rights meets with IOI Secretary General

This week, Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights, paid a visit to Austrian Ombudsman and IOI Secretary General Günther Kräuter. Commissioner Mijatović and Secretary General Kräuter discussed recent developments in the field of human rights, especially regarding migration, violence against women, children’s rights and the international tendency and attempts to restrict human rights, which is also apparent in CoE member states. 

Mr Kräuter and Ms Mijatović shared concerns about the fact that Ombudsman institutions more and more often operate under difficult circumstances or come under threat, when governments perceive their investigative work as inconvenient. Pressure can be applied in various forms. First steps are often sophisticated and almost invisible measures such as budget cuts or widening the Ombudsman’s mandate without providing the necessary resources, confirmed Commissioner Mijatović.

Commissioner Mijatović showed her concern about the current development and atmosphere in Central Europe. It is alarming to see that the importance of human rights, one of the core values and achievements of modern-day democracies, are in decline. A huge backlash can be witnessed all over Europe, which is why institutions such as the Human Rights Commissioner and the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) need to further strengthen their cooperation, underlined Ms Mijatović.