Press statement | 19.10.2016

On the occasion of 20 years of existence of the BiH Ombudsmen there was organized international conference "Equal in Diversity"

International conference titled "Equal in Diversity" was held on Tuesday, 18 October 2016, in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo.

The conference, organized by the Office of the Ombudsmen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and with the support of the OSCE Mission to BiH, marked the central activity of the celebration of 20 years of action of Ombudsmen in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Conference participants discussed the place and role of national institutions for protection and promotion of human rights, including the challenges, experiences and achievements at the regional level, and concerning the achieved level of human rights, especially in the context of European integration.

With greetings sent on the occasion of this important anniversary, the authorities in BiH and the international community, as well as other participants of the conference supported the work of the Ombudsmen, and pointed to the importance of ensuring their full independence and protection of the integrity of the institution.

The importance of providing conditions for undisturbed operation of the Ombudsmen, including financial independence, was also pointed to the head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Ambassador Jonathan Moore, reminding the multi-year partnership between OSCE and the BiH Ombudsman Institution, stressed determination of the OSCE furthermore to provides full support for strengthening the capacity of the Institution.

From the perspective of the European Union, the importance of a strong and independent institution working to protect human rights was also pointed by Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH, Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark. He stressed that this is one of the most important institutions, engaged in the protection of human rights, including the rights of all those who are on the margins of the society.

Holding of the Conference was also welcomed by Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borislav Bojić, and with the congratulations addressed to the 20th anniversary of activities of the Ombudsmen in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that it will be insisted on the adoption/amendments of law to ensure the retention of status A holding by the Institution of Ombudsman for Human Rights, which primarily includes its financial independence.

Assessing that this institution over the past two decades fully justified the trust, the Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Semiha Borovac, said that the Ministry will insist on solutions that will ensure the institution of BiH Ombudsmen its rightful place in the system of human rights protection.

The Ombudsmen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with gratitude to the participants of the Conference and to all those who have in the past in any way contributed to the work of the Human Rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina, described the conference as very successful and a good opportunity to talk about the achieved level of protection of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, twenty years later, also drawing attention at the challenges that await all relevant actors involved in the promotion, education and protection of human rights in the future, especially in the context of the fight against discrimination and greater sensitivity to vulnerable groups in the society.

Useful Links

• Cooperation with NGO
• Office Days of the BiH Ombudsman
• Agreements of the Ombudsperson Institution of BiH with other ombudsman institutions
• Covid-19 and the human rights effect
• Freedom of Access to Information
• ​Marrakech Declaration, 12th October 2018
• Operational Strategy of the Institution of Human rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Period 2023 – 2028
• Medium-Term Plan 2024-2026
• Ombudsman Manual for handling discrimination cases
• Guidelines for filling in the complaints in the area of discrimination
• Application before European Court of Human Rights - Instruction
• The life of an application before the European Court of Human Rights
• News Archive

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Ombudsmen of BiH

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