BackOn 3 December 2021, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, elections were held at the annual meeting of the European Network of the Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), and the Latvian Ombudsman was elected to the GANHRI Working Group on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
There are only eight national human rights institutions from around the world in this working group, two from each region, and Latvia, together with Ireland, will represent Europe in the working group for the next three years.
Only institutions with “A” status, which the Latvian Ombudsman's Office has had since 2015, can be approved for participation in this working group. Since 2010, the Ombudsman has been monitoring the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Latvia.
In previous periods, the interim Working Group has focused on improving the mechanisms for monitoring the rights of persons with disabilities under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The goal of the Ombudsman's Office of Latvia is to emphasize the importance of digitalization and modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, in everyday life, especially thinking about solutions so that people with disabilities can equally participate.
Legal Counsellor Ms. Anete Ilves will represent the Ombudsman's Office in the international working group.
Source: Office of the Ombudsman, Latvia
