Representative of the Commissioner took part in the next meeting of the ENNHRI

The Head of the Unit for the Protection of the Rights of Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Migrants of the Ombudsman Office Turan Jahangirova took part at the next meeting of the Asylum and Migration Working Group, set within the implementation framework of European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) Strategic Plan for 2018-2021, held in Zagreb, Croatia.

The event was attended by representatives of ombudspersons of other European countries (Germany, France, Spain, Croatia, Georgia, Belgium, Ukraine etc.), the activities carried out within the past period were analyzed by summarizing, future activity perspectives were discussed.

T.Jahangirova delivered a speech providing information about the systemic measures implemented on improvement of domestic legislation. She mentioned about the preventive actions against illegal migration, forced labour and human trafficking as an important part of the Ombudsman’s comprehensive activity.     

The participants were also informed about the measures taken within the Ombudsman’s activity as the National Preventive Mechanism.

The representative noted that the activities continued within close cooperation between the Ombudsman and foreign ombudspersons, including with diplomatic missions of these countries in Azerbaijan and our diplomatic missions abroad. There are jointly conducted researches on the situation of such persons, meetings were held in places and assistance was rendered for legalization of foreigners’ labour activity. Illegal migrants were given more time for formalizing their status, individual approach was applied towards migrants taking into consideration their personal and family life.

It was also noted that the provision and promotion of the rights of  IDPs, refugees, foreigners, stateless persons or asylum-seekers in our country according to the international standards within the projects jointly implemented by the Ombudsman with OHCR and OHCHR Missions in Azerbaijan, their integration to the society, ensuring the right to education and other social rights, as well as improvement of the asylum system in compliance with the European standards, raising awareness of persons from this vulnerable group of population, extensive measures conducted on elimination of statelessness cases and other areas directed towards target groups and dissemination of legal publications prepared in several languages are guaranteed.

Furthermore, regular trainings and seminars are conducted with participation of the staff members of court, law-enforcement, customs and border service authorities by involving regional centers of the Ombudsman in different parts of the country within the “Asylum Systems Quality Initiative in Eastern Europe and South Caucasus” project financed by European Union and implemented currently.

She also stressed the active participation of the Commissioner in the discussions regarding the National Strategy on Migration Issues being prepared for 2019-2024 in our country.

Within the event, economic-social rights of the migrants, rights of the child, cooperation with the mass media and other topics were discussed, activity directions were determined.