BackIOI Secretary General Günther Kräuter congratulated Polish Ombudsman Adam Bodnar in Warsaw for the 30th anniversary of his institution.
After receiving an invitation to a Human Rights Conference from Ombudsman Adam Bodnar, many international and national guests - Ombudsmen, human rights experts and representatives of civil society gather to attend this very symbolic and important event. The Polish institution of the Commissioner for Human Rights is celebrating its 30th anniversary. On the occasion of the institutions’ anniversary, more than one hundred participants of the conference held in Warsaw assured Bodnar of their support. According to media reports, the institution is once again being put under pressure by public representatives who are threatening to make budget cuts. Some stakeholders are even repeatedly insisting on the dismissal of the committed and successful Ombudsman.
Austrian Ombudsman Günther Kräuter, who is also Secretary General of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) based in Vienna, stressed the importance of independence of Ombudsman institutions in his speech and named the most essential criteria for this: sufficient financial means, sufficient staff and the possibility of reporting to parliament. IOI-Europe president, Catalan Ombudsman Rafael Ribo, also expressed his concern about the human rights situation in Poland and other European countries.
