The event was jointly organised by the Swedish and the Moroccan Permanent Representations in Geneva. The Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsmen (JO) was represented by the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman, Mr Mats Melin, and the Head of the International Division, Mrs Marianne von der Esch.

The aim of the event was to discuss the role of the Ombudsmen, Mediators and National Human Rights Institution’s in the UN system of promotion and protection of human rights.

The discussions focused on the ombudsmen’s different roles, structures and mandates in each country. Mr. Melin described the origin of the concept of ombudsmen and Sweden’s long tradition in this area, and referred to the bicentennial anniversary of the Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman that was celebrated in Stockholm in June this year.

It was concluded that the ombudsmen play a central role in the protection of human rights since they are strategically placed between the citizens and the political power. The need for raising people’s awareness on the functions and legitimacy of the ombudsmen was stressed. The ombudsman function was said to be a matter of accountability. In most countries, rule of law is central and functional, and the ombudsmen can smoothly perform his or her duties, but this is not the case in all countries. It was stressed that it is relevant to preserve the independence of the ombudsmen and the possibility for the respective ombudsman to decide what is to be investigated, by which means, and without obligations. It was pointed out that ombudsmen only make recommendations, and no legal decisions. In some countries, it may however be difficult to create credibility and respect in the recommendations, which is often due to political factors. The event was seen as an important step forward in increasing the cooperation between the UN and national institutions.