Delegation from Tunisia visits the Austrian Ombudsman Board

On 18 and 19 February 2014 the Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB) welcomed a delegation from Tunisia. The main objective of the visit was to assist Tunisia with the establishment of a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) for the protection and promotion of human rights. Chairman of the AOB Günther Kräuter welcomes the important initiative: “Tunisia is the first country throughout the entire region of Middle East and North Africa to take this step. The AOB is especially proud to provide advice and assistance to this country which is playing a pioneering role.”

In the course of the visit, the Tunisian delegation gained detailed information regarding the establishment of a system for the preventive monitoring of human rights. The discussions centred around questions with regard to funding, coping with challenges faced by the implementation of the project as well as selection criteria  for the NPM’s future members.

The members of the delegation also met with representatives of the AOB’s advisory body – the Human Rights Advisory Council – and with members of the expert commissions. Thereby the delegation was provided with a comprehensive insight into the practical work of the preventive mechanism, into accomplishment since the start of the monitoring activities in Austria as well as the challenges currently faced by the commissions.

“The delegation’s visit constitutes a valuable enrichment not only for the delegation, but also for the Austrian Ombudsman Board, and provides incentives for further strengthening the relations and cooperation between Tunisia and Austria in the future”, Kräuter says.

Since 1 July 2012 the AOB has been active as National Preventive Mechanism in Austria. It is in charge of monitoring the observance of human rights and preventing their violation. The implementation of the preventive monitoring of human rights in Austria has been noted positively at a national and international level, which was a determining factor for the visit by Tunisia.