Peter Kostelka meets ICC Chair
I.O.I. Secretary General and Chair of the Austrian Ombudsman Board Peter Kostelka participated in the 10th international conference of National Human Rights Institutions that took place in Edinburgh from 7 to 10 October 2010.
By invitation of the ICC Bureau he participated in an ICC Bureau meeting on 7 October that was scheduled to foster the cooperation between the ICC and the I.O.I. ICC Chair Rosslyn Noonan welcomed the growing relationship between the two organisations and expressed her hope to build a strong cooperation in the future.
Kostelka outlined the structure and purposes of the Institute to the ICC Bureau and pointed out common priorities such as the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the adherence to the rule of law and the strive for an effective democracy and open and accountable government.
“The ICC provides leadership in the protection of human rights and has many devoted members promoting the Paris principles which are also part of the I.O.I. A UN resolution from March 2010 encourages an increased cooperation between national human rights institutions and international associations of ombudsmen. Art 9 of the ICC statutes even includes a reference to the I.O.I. The I.O.I. and the ICC have common responsibilities and I am convinced that joining our forces serves the cause of human rights”, told Kostelka the ICC Bureau.