Portuguese Ombudsperson participated in the General Assembly and Annual Conference of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions

The Portuguese Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, and the Deputy Ombudsman, Ravi Afonso Pereira, participated in the General Assembly and Annual Conference of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), that took place between 14 and 16 March, in Geneva, on the occasion of the commemorations of the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 30th Anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Principles.

In parallel, the GANHRI 2023 Knowledge Exchange session took place, which served as a preparation for the 14th International Conference of GANHRI 2023, which will take place in November in Copenhagen, under the theme “Torture and other ill-treatment: The Role of National Human Rights Institutions”.

To read the final declaration adopted by the GANHRI 2023 General Assembly click here.

The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions was established in 1993 to coordinate and support the activities of National Human Rights Institutions around the world. It is known as GANHRI since 2016, currently brings together around 120 national institutions and is one of the largest human rights networks on a global scale. Based in Geneva it is recognised as a partner of the UN, in particular the UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

In addition to the OHCHR, the Ombudsman is a member of various international organizations and entities, of global and regional scope, in particular those created within the scope of the Council of Europe and the European Union, and is also a founding member of the Human Rights Network resulting from the Portuguese-speaking countries’ community (CPLP), as well as the one established in the Ibero-American space (FIO).

As a National Human Rights Institution, accredited with status A, in full compliance with the United Nations Paris Principles, the Ombudsman functions as a link between the Portuguese system and the international system for the promotion and protection of human rights of the United Nations. It cooperates, for instance, with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the evaluation of the Portuguese State’s compliance with its obligations regularly carried out by the Human Rights Council, submitting alternative reports and formulating recommendations and statements.