IOI EUROPE | Human Rights Symposium held in Barcelona

2016 has witnessed a surge of populism in the political debate in Europe and the world, a phenomenon that is jeopardizing the advances in the field of rights and liberties reached in Europe since the end of WWII. Regressive legislative reforms are already a reality in some countries, while in others there is an open questioning of international human rights standards and institutions.

Against the background of these developments, IOI Europe’s Regional President Rafael Ribó hosted a workshop on human rights challenges, held in Barcelona from 3 – 4 April 2017, with a view to share experiences on good administration and human rights, to analyse means of intervention, including reports and own initiatives, and to search effective channels of mutual support and coordination at an international level. The seminar took place in the Catalan Parliament and resumed the debate on the regression of rights launched a year ago. In light of recent political developments emphasis was particularly put on “Populism? Regression of Rights and the Role of the Ombudsman”. Representatives from IOI member institutions from all over Europe participated at this workshop to discuss and analyse the current situation and the role of the Ombudsman in this regard. 

Several high level speakers were invited to speak at this event. European Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks gave the keynote speech focusing on current political rhetoric and its impact on the protection of rights. Further, IOI President, Peter Tyndall spoke at the opening ceremony as well as in a session on “Political populism and its impact on human rights: European Treaties, Human Rights Codes and patterns to be considered”. European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) Director Michael O’Flaherty equally contributed to this session and stressed the important role of Ombudsman institutions as “front-line troopers” in the protection of fundamental and human rights.

Moreover, IOI Secretary General Günther Kräuter was invited to speak at a session regarding Ombudsman experiences in public policies and human rights regression. The Ombudsman of the EU, Emily O’Reilly, presented monitoring tools concerning the regression of rights in situations of emergency and migration crisis. Finally, IOI Europe’s Regional President Rafael Ribó contributed to the discussion on best practices, human rights, networks and the models of Ombudsman Institutions. The President of the Government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, provided some final remarks and concluded the workshop after the adoption of the Barcelona Declaration.