Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina is attending the meeting of the General Assembly and Conference of the European Region of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI*) in Athens, Greece. Svetina also serves as one of the organisation’s regional directors for Europe. The main theme of this year’s meeting is the mandate and operational framework of ombudsman organisations, which have different powers in the various IOI members with regard to public authorities, but the same objective, i.e. protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. In addition to the Greek Ombudsman and host, Andreas Pottakis, the participants were also addressed by the President of the Greek Parliament, Mr Constantine Tassoulas. The discussion focused on the structural arrangement of human rights protection institutions in various countries and the pitfalls and good practices regarding the use of new technologies. Ombudsman Svetina led the discussion on the use of new technologies, in which the attendees pointed out the problems of individual groups of users who, due to their age, psychophysical abilities or merely the lack of knowledge about new technologies, frequently find themselves in distress.

Svetina thus advocated for fair access to digital technologies for all citizens without discrimination, which certainly presents one of the major challenges of digitalisation. He stated that concern for maintaining contact with people should be the gold standard for countries and governments. According to the Ombudsman, the exchange of examples of good and bad practices and experience from different countries could be of great help when formulating efficient solutions. These must contribute to raising people’s quality of life, rather than the opposite, and be based on the concept of an inclusive society. "In the last decade, a number of excellent new technologies and competences have been developed in many fields, which have made our lives easier, but when it comes to the digitalisation of, for example, utterly basic everyday activities, we have forgotten about the people who cannot access technologies, are not skilled in using them, or simply cannot cope with the Internet," the Ombudsman stressed at the conference. In his opinion, we have to keep in mind that small changes for one person may have great consequences for another. "We must exceed the boundaries of individual sectors and build a society which will introduce changes without causing turbulence and with consideration for the dignity of every person," Ombudsman Svetina emphasised.

The ombudsman institutions included in the European IOI have excellent cooperation and have further strengthened their ties during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the session and the conference, Slovenian Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina also held bilateral talks with his colleagues from various countries – among The Netherlands, Austra, Sweden, Israel, Great Britain and Belgium. The intensification of international activities within the framework of the established ombudsman associations and through direct bilateral relations with colleagues abroad is one of the Ombudsman’s specific priorities. "Integration into the international environment is of the utmost importance for a modern institution, as we must always think globally in the field of human rights, although we work locally," stressed the Slovenian Ombudsman, who also believes that, in doing so, connecting with various international ombudsman associations can be of great help.

In addition to the General Assembly, the IOI Board of Directors for Europe also met. The Board’s seven members include Andreas Pottakis from Greece (president), Maria Lucía Amaral from Portugal, Rob Behrens from the United Kingdom, Nino Lomjaria from Georgia, Marc Bertrand from Belgium, Mr Reinier Van Zutphen from The Netherlands and Peter Svetina from Slovenia.

*IOI is an international organisation focusing on human rights and fundamental freedoms. It was established in 1978 and the Republic of Slovenia has been a member for more than ten years. The Institute consists of more than 100 ombudsman organisations from around the world.