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Participants at the 31st APOR Conference
The Control Yuan hosted the 31st Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region (APOR) Conference in Taipei City from 25 - 27 September 2019. The gathering included a work shop on “The Ombudsman’s Role in Human Rights Protection” on 26 September, during which APOR member representatives and foreign guests were invited to share their professional insights and experience as well as case studies.
The workshop was divided into three sessions, on “Practices and Recent Developments of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI),” “The Ombudsman and the Protection of Economically and Socially Disadvantaged People’s Human Rights,” and “The Multifunctional Role of the Ombudsman.”
The first session focused on the history as well as recent and future developments of international ombudsman institutions, such as the IOI and the Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsman (FIO). At the second session, participants shared and discussed case studies on human rights protection work with respect to the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), and the protection by ombudsmen of vulnerable groups, such as aboriginal people in Australia, juvenile prisoners, and migrant workers in Taiwan. The final session centered on how ombudsman powers have become increasingly comprehensive in human rights protection, with speakers introducing the multifunctional roles of the Control Yuan, New Zealand’s Office of the Ombudsman, the Administrative Evaluation Bureau in Japan, and the Parliamentary Ombudsman in Sweden. Participants in the workshops engaged in open and friendly discussions on these and related human rights issues.
In a speech at work shop’s opening ceremony, CY President Chang Po-ya stated that human rights are a universal value and that Ombudsman institutions perform the function of safeguarding these rights in their practical operations. She also noted that Ombudsman institutions’ duties have gradually expanded over recent decades, which demonstrates these institutions’ increasing importance and influence. Also delivering remarks at the opening, IOI Secretary General Werner Amon and APOR President Peter Boshier emphasized the important role of Ombudsman institutions in enhancing human rights protection and the welfare of the people.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, CY Vice President Sun Ta-chuan expressed appreciation to all the participants from home and abroad for their contribution to making this year’s gathering a success. He also thanked the speakers for their insightful and interesting presentations which all the participants benefited from and which demonstrated the dedication and resolve of the CY and other Ombudsman institutions around the world in carrying out their duties of safeguarding human rights.
In addition to APOR members, representatives from the IOI’s European Region and Asian Region chapters also took part in the human rights workshop.
Source: Control Yuan, Taiwan
