30th Anniversary: Protecting the vulnerable – The role of the Ombudsman in upholding Human Rights

30th Anniversary: Protecting the vulnerable – The role of the Ombudsman in upholding Human Rights

Published October 01, 2025

The second panel of the International Ombudsman Conference will address one of the most pressing issues of our time: the protection of vulnerable groups. Persons who are most at risk—whether because of age, disability, social status, migration, or minority identity—are often the first to experience injustice and the last to secure redress. Ombudsman institutions play a crucial role in closing this gap by providing accessible complaints mechanisms and advocating for systemic changes that safeguard human rights.

While the Ombudsman’s classical mandate is to ensure good administration, this responsibility frequently overlaps with fundamental rights. Cases concerning discrimination, social benefits, housing, or healthcare often point to deeper issues of equality and dignity. By investigating these complaints and recommending reforms, Ombudsmen help to make human rights tangible in the daily lives of persons.

In several countries, Ombudsman institutions also serve as National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), giving them a broader mandate to monitor compliance with international human rights standards. Even where this dual role is not formally established, Ombudsmen are frequently at the frontline of protecting the rights of those who might otherwise remain unheard.

This session will explore how Ombudsmen can protect vulnerable persons—migrants, minorities, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and others—through their traditional complaint-handling role, as advocates for systemic change, and in partnership with civil society and other institutions.

The discussion will be moderated by Mr Matthew Xuereb, Editor, newsbook.com.mt, and will include keynote speeches by:

• Ms Debbie Kohner, Secretary General, ENNHRI
• Mr Mykhailo Spasov, Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights, Ukraine
• Ms Marina Ceyssac, High Commissioner for the Protection of Rights, Liberties and for Mediation of Monaco
• Judge Lorraine Schembri Orland, Judge at the ECHR
• Dr Dijana Možina Zupanc, Deputy Human Rights Ombudsman of Slovenia
• Dr Tamar Gvaramadze, First Deputy Public Defender of Georgia
• Mr Andreas Accardo, Head of Institutional Cooperation and EU Charter Unit, FRA