14: Human Rights Under Pressure: The Role of Ombudspersons and National Human Rights Institutions
Curated with FRA - The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and IOI - International Ombudsman Institute
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August-Friedrich-von Hayek-Saal
Breakout
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in englischer SpracheHuman rights defenders are confronted with increasing pressure and even existential threats which jeopardise their independence. What risk situations do they face? How can democracy and the rule of law be strengthened so that institutions of ombudsmen and national human rights institutions find an enabling environment?
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Michael O'FLAHERTY
Director, FRA - European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Vienna
| 1995-1996 | Secretary, Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, UN Centre for Human Rights, Geneva |
| 1996-1997 | Expert Advisor, Human Rights under the Dayton Peace Accords, UN, Sarajevo |
| 1997-1998 | Independent Consultant, Human Rights |
| 1998-2000 | Chief, UN human rights programme in Sierra Leone, Freetown |
| 2000-2002 | Coordinator, Programmes in the Asia-Pacific region, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Geneva |
| 2002-2003 | Senior Research Officer (Child Rights), UNICEF Innocent Research Centre, Florence |
| 2003-2013 | Professor of Applied Human Rights and Co-director,Human Rights Law Centre, University of Nottingham |
| 2004-2012 | Member (latterly Vice-chair), United Nations Human Rights Committee, Geneva |
| 2011-2013 | Chief Commissioner, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Belfast |
| 2013-2015 | Established Professor of Human Rights Law and Director, Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway |
| since 2015 | Director, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, Vienna |
Peter TYNDALL
Ombudsman, Information Commissioner, and Commissioner for Environmental Information of Ireland; President, IOI - International Ombudsman Institute, Vienna
Lora VIDOVIC
Ombudswoman, Republic of Croatia, Zagreb
| Lora Vidović, LLM, took over the duty of the Ombudswoman in March 2013 after the Croatian Parliament appointed her for a term of eight years as the Head of this independent institution with multiple mandates: Parliamentary Ombudsman, A status NHRI, National Equality Body and OP-CAT NPM. Prior to that, she worked as the Head of UNICEF Office in Croatia (2010 - 2013) and before that as Deputy Ombudsman for Children (2006 - 2010). Mrs. Vidović also worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration within the Human Rights Department and served as an attaché in charge of consular affairs and human rights in Oslo, Norway (1998 - 2006), as well as in the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (1997 - 1998). She has actively participated on numerous international seminars, conferences and meetings related to human rights and democratization, and has published a series of expert papers concerning the status of women in employment and children’s status in society and family. From 2014 until 2019, she was a member of the Management Board of FRA; from 2016 she has been a European member of the Bureau of Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, and from 2016 to 2019 she was the Chair of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI). | |
| She graduated from University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law in 1997; in 2001 obtained her Master’s degree and in 2006 passed the Bar exam. |
MA Friso ROSCAM-ABBING
Spokesperson, FRA - European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Vienna
| Friso Roscam Abbing is Adviser on Communication and Spokesperson of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights where he previously headed the Fundamental Rights Promotion Department. He was previously a spokesperson on freedom, security and justice at the European Commission, Cabinet member, and headed the Sector in the Commission dealing with asylum policy. Before that, he led the EU Office of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles, a European network of 96 NGOs in 40 European countries protecting and advancing the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people. He holds a bachelor degree in law and a master degree in Public Administration at the University of Amsterdam. |
