ITALY | IOI Secretary General Kraeuter meets Ombudsman of South Tyrol

After holding consultation days in Vorarlberg and Tyrol Ombudsman Guenther Kraeuter followed an invitation from the South Tyrol Ombudsman, Gabriele Morandell, this week. As part of a public event in Bolzano Kraeuter presented the Austrian institution and explained the main tasks of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI).

Of special interest was the Austrian OPCAT mandate of the Ombudsman to both the event participants and media representatives. Issues such as human rights protection on the run or the situation of ombudsmen under political pressure were discussed in the presence of some members of the South Tyrolean federal state parliament. Kraeuter: "The cooperation and networking of ombudsmen is of decisive importance for important cross-border protection of human rights and the protection and the development of democratic principles." The South Tyrolean Ombudsman is also a member of the IOI since of 2009.