BackIn communications to President Dolores de Cospeda I.O.I. President Beverley Wakem, Secretary General Peter Kostelka and European Regional Vice-President Rafael Ribó have expressed their concern on behalf of the I.O.I. regarding recent developments in Castilla-La Mancha that might lead to the abolition of its Ombudsman institution.
It was pointed out that ever since Sweden introduced the first modern Ombudsman institution in 1809 more and more countries, regions, cities and communities have set up independent ombudsman institutions to safeguard the rights of citizens by establishing a supervisory agency independent of the executive branch that controls the administration. Today, ombudsman institutions exist in more than 100 countries contributing with their work to transparent governance, the protection of human rights and the progress of the rule of law. Specifically Europe has seen numerous new ombudsman institutions coming into existence in the past decades with the work of ombudsmen being perceived as an important and necessary aspect of a developed, transparent and accountable western European democracy.
The I.O.I. officers highlighted that the importance of ombudsman institutions in guaranteeing citizens’ access to justice is widely recognised by other integrity organisations working at the highest levels in various countries. On 11 November 2010 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in which it recognized the role of the Ombudsman institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The General Assembly underlined the importance of the autonomy and independence of the Ombudsman and considered “the role of the Ombudsman in promoting good governance in public administrations, as well as improving their relations with citizens, and in strengthening the delivery of public services.” It additionally “considered the important role of Ombudsman institutions in contributing to the effective realization of the rule of law and respect for the principles of justice and equality.”
The resolution firmly encourages UN member states “to consider the creation or the strengthening of independent and autonomous Ombudsman” institutions. It is against this context that the I.O.I. has noted with great concern that there is a proposal in Castilla-La Mancha to abolish its ombudsman institution. As an independent organization the I.O.I. certainly does not wish to interfere with the internal affairs of a state or regional decisions but nevertheless strongly urges the competent decision-makers to take the above facts into account before proceeding with the current draft law. For the I.O.I. and the entire international ombudsman community the abolition of this independent ombudsman institution would be a very regrettable development that would not only be at odds with modern international standards but would also be quite unprecedented in Europe where only in Italy have regional ombudsman institutions been abolished within the last couple of years.
