: Ombudsman Office and UNICEF signs a Rolling Work Plan on cooperation for 2021-2022

The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ms. Sabina Aliyeva received the UNICEF Representative to Azerbaijan, Mr. Edward Carwardine.

In the meeting, the parties discussed the activities carried out on the basis of the joint work plan signed between the Ombudsman institution and UNICEF in 2020. It was mentioned that the actions arising out of this plan were successfully implemented during the previous year.

The Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva provided information about the activities conducted as a national human rights institution for the protection and promotion of children’s rights and thanked the UNICEF representative for the collaboration in the concerned field. Given the fact that children are one of the most vulnerable groups amid the COVID-19 pandemic, their education and preparing them for the future are of special importance along with their health during such a period, the Ombudsman stated.

While discussing the actions implemented, it was noted that setting up a unified 916 Call Center of the Ombudsman played an important role in terms of receiving appeals faster and reacting more promptly during the pandemic.

In the meeting, the Ombudsman also briefed the guest about the monitoring of the childcare facilities as part of the National Preventive Mechanism activity during the pandemic.  The Ombudsman mentioned that involving a social worker and lawyer-specialist in the monitoring as a new practice since the last year contributed to the effectiveness of this activity.

The Ombudsman also informed the UNICEF Representative about the improvement of the activities as a monitoring mechanism based on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the establishment of a new unit in the Ombudsman Office for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities.

Some proposals have been raised in the meeting regarding the cooperation for developing ad hoc reports about the situation of ensuring the rights of the children in conflict with the law, also raising awareness about the Ombudsman in the country.

Mr. Edward Carwardine thanked the Ombudsman and expressed the readiness of the institution that he represented for future cooperation in the directions discussed.

In conclusion, the Ombudsman Office and UNICEF signed a Rolling Work Plan for the years 2021-2022 within the framework of the 2021-2025 Cooperation Program, and the parties discussed the upcoming responsibilities.