12/09/2024 - 13/09/2024
Cassino, Italy - The Venice Commission contributed to the organisation of the 2nd Italian edition of the International Ombudsman Conference on "The role of the Ombudsman as a guardian of rights", held in Cassino, Italy, on 12-13 September 2024. A representative of the Venice Commission participated in the event and delivered an opening speech.
This conference, organised by the Civic Defender of the Lazio Region, President of the National Coordination of Ombudsmen of Italy, brought together more than 200 Ombudsmen, civil servants and students from all continents.
The present activity is part of the overall work of the Venice Commission aimed at strengthening the role of Ombudsman institutions and their networks. The conference provided a platform for the Venice Commission to highlight the fundamental role of Ombudsman institutions in the context of the global human rights and rule of law backsliding and to draw participants' attention to the institutional and functional support that the Venice Commission can offer to Ombudsman institutions. Such a support is rooted in the Principles for the Protection and Promotion of the Institution of Ombudsman, the "Venice Principles", which have been endorsed by all the statutory bodies of the Council of Europe and set as an international standard for Ombudsman institutions by the United Nations.