BackOn June 5, 2013, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Valeriya Lutkovska presented the Annual report on the state of observance and protection of the rights and freedoms of persons and citizens in Ukraine at a plenary session of the parliament.
In her opening speech Ms. Valeriya Lutkovska, in particular, pointed out that from the first day of work she set a goal: Strengthening the institution of the Commissioner for Human Rights as effective mechanism of parliamentary control over observance of the rights and freedoms of persons at national level and strengthening the influence on state authorities and local governments for ensuring appropriate observance of the rights and freedoms of everyone.
"Specifics of a role of the Commissioner for Human Rights consist of functions of a loud-hailer of human rights defense community and state body with special status which consists in the execution of mediator functions – the intermediary between the person and the state", the Commissioner for Human Rights emphasized.
According to the Ombudsman, effective parliamentary control over observance of the rights and freedoms of the person consists, in particular, in the implementation of preventive function in the sphere of protection of the rights and freedoms of the person and the reaction in situations of lack of appropriate actions of state bodies.
The analysis carried out by office of the Commissioner concerning observance of human rights in Ukraine revealed a number of serious problems which exist. In particular, within the last year about 100 thousand persons addressed the Commissioner for Human Rights, the analysis and consideration of complaints indicate the need of special reaction in such spheres as:
- prevention of tortures and ill treatment;
- observance of the social and economic and humanitarian rights;
- observance of the rights of the child, non-discrimination and gender equality.
Taking into consideration the above mentioned, these issues were defined as priority in the Secretariat’s activity. "At the same time it doesn’t mean that other legal relationships which are under continuous monitoring are less important,” Ms. Valeriya Lutkovska stressed.
Reporting about the main achievements in the activities of the Secretariat of the Commissioner in 2012 Ms. Valeriya Lutkovska noted: "Within the last year the institution actively developed according to the "Ombudsman +" model that foresees close cooperation with non-governmental public organizations. The Advisory council began its work, 28 representatives of leading human rights defense organizations took part in it and its cochairman is the well-known human rights defense activist Mr. Yevgen Zakharov. Besides, some specialized expert councils and groups among experts and specialists of separate branches were created. Being guided by the principles of partnership, availability and openness, the office of the Commissioner for Human Rights constantly holds joint events with human rights defense organizations of a human rights defense orientation".
As the result of the activities of the Commissioner for 2012, and also on implementation of requirements of article 18 of the Law of Ukraine "the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights", Ms. Valeriya Lutkovska submitted to parliamentarians the Annual report on the state of observance and protection of the rights and freedoms of persons and citizens in Ukraine – the document which noticed and analyzed system problems which lead to the violation of the rights and freedoms of persons in Ukraine. In the Report the revealed problems and shortcomings were mentioned and analyzed, and also recommendations concerning their solution were made.
Thus the Commissioner stressed: "The purpose of this Report is not so much the criticism of an existing situation with human rights in Ukraine, but assistance for improvement of a situation in the sphere of observance of the rights and freedoms of the person in our state", and welcomed the positive achievements of the last year.
Summing up the speech the Ombudsman Ms. Valeriya Lutkovska thanked parliamentary committees for their constructive cooperation, namely: the Committee for human rights, ethnic minorities and interethnic relations; the Committee for pensioners, veterans and disabled people affairs; the Committee for family, youth policy, sports and tourism affairs; the Committee for social policy and labor.
Then, the chairman of the Committee for human rights, ethnic minorities and interethnic relations, Mr. Valeriy Patskan, in its speech on behalf of the special-purpose committee, noted that the Annual report of the Commissioner has to form the basis of legislative activity of parliamentarians in the sphere of protection of human rights.
The full text of the speech of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Valeriya Lutkovska delivered at the Parliament during the presentation of the Annual Report on the state of observance of rights and freedoms of the persons and of the citizens in Ukraine is available here.
Source: Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine
