Ombudsman held an online meeting with several NGO directors and human rights defenders

The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva held an online meeting with representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGO) and human rights defenders.

The online meeting brought together the president of National NGO Forum, Rauf Zeini, the chair of Azerbaijan Society for Protection of Women’s Rights named after Dilara Aliyeva, Novella Jafaroglu, the chairman of Citizens’ Labour Rights Protection League, Sahib Mammadov, the president of “Constitution” Research Foundation, Alimammad Nuriyev, the chairwoman of “Clean World” Public Union for Support to Women, Mehriban Zeynalova, the Azerbaijan National division of International Human Rights Society, Seadet Benanyarli, the head of Human Rights and Protection of Legality Buro, .Saida Qojamanli, the head of Union of  Disabled People Organizations, Davud Rahimli, the director of Azerbaijan Human Rights Center, Eldar Zeynalov, the member of Public Committee under Ministry of Justice, Zaliha Tahirova. The head of the Ombudsman Office, Aydin Safikhanli and the head of  Department for Prevention of Torture of the Ombudsman Office, Rashid Rumzada joined the online meeting as well.

After greeting the NGO representatives attending the online meeting, the Commissioner congratulated them on the occasion of the Ramadan Holiday and May 28- Republic Day and expressed her warm wishes.

Sabina Aliyeva noted that she had paid special importance to the cooperation with civil society organizations (CSOs) from the first days of her activity as the Commissioner and in that short period of time NGO representatives were involved in organized events. A decision was made to organize a broad meeting aimed at discussing future activity directions, but due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, it was not possible to hold a live meeting because of cancellation of mass events in the country according to the requirements of a special quarantine regime. The Ombudsman also mentioned that it is planned to hold a series of events jointly with NGO representatives after the pandemic.

She has pointed that NGOs became an important tool in civil society building and the process of democratization of countries. She added that the reforms implemented by the state abled active participation of CSOs, the Presidential Order dated December 27, 2011, On Approval of National Program for Action to Raise Effectiveness of the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms in the Republic of Azerbaijan designated close cooperation with CSOs as a task for state bodies.

It was hailed as an important step that from the early years of activity as a national human rights institution, a Council of Independent Experts was established by the Commissioner with representation of numerous different-profile NGOs. The Ombudsman provided information about future perspectives and priorities of activities of this Council and added that it would perform coordinated activity in developing reports for UN SDGs and for submission to international organizations, drafting proposals for legislation, conducting legal awareness work and other areas.

During the meeting the participants also exchanged their views on improving legislation with respect to human rights protection, exercising public control,  fighting corruption, cooperation with NGOs in order to making amendments and additions to the Constitutional Law on the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Directors of NGOs attending the online meeting put forward some proposals about improvement of Regulation of the above-noted Council through further discussions, establishing working groups under the Council acting in different areas, improvement of legislation for further strengthening the Ombudsman’s activity, developing collaboration with international and regional human rights organizations, conducting relevant research and monitoring together with the staff of the Ombudsman Office, organizing joint awareness raising work targeting different population groups.

The participants noted the importance of discussions held within the framework of the meeting in terms of human rights protection and decided to continue such kind of meetings systematically in the future.