The Defensor del Pueblo received a visit from a delegation from the Office of the Ombudsman of Turkey, which visited Spain as part of a two-year Spanish-French “twinning” project funded by the European Union with a budget of over €1.5 million.
Led by the Offices of the Ombudsman of Spain and France, the Defensor del Pueblo and the Défenseur des Droits, with the participation of the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), the aim of the project is to help get off the ground the Turkish institution, which was created in 2013.
During the course of several work sessions, experts from the Defensor contributed their experience and knowledge in organisational matters, such as the preparation of and methodology for visits to government centres or offices and communication of the work carried out.
The Turkish delegation was provided with information on how complaints connected with matters as significant as asylum, health, pensions, particularly vulnerable groups of people, persons with disabilities and the actions of the State Security Forces and Corps.
The training programme, which lasted for five weeks, also gave members of the Turkish delegation an insight into how the Offices of the Regional Ombudsman operate in the self-governing regions of Valencia, Aragón and Castilla y León.
The delegation also visited institutions such as the Regional Parliament of Castilla y León, foundations with a social orientation, a school and a healthcare centre.
The creation of an institution to protect human rights, along the lines of the Defensor del Pueblo, is one of the requirements laid down by the European Union for continuing with Turkey’s adhesion process.
Throughout its history, the Defensor has collaborated on various missions providing technical aid to governments and to similar institutions, giving advice on the organisation and operation of Ombudsman offices. Projects of this kind have been carried out in Kazakhstan, Armenia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
