The Association of Ombudsmen and National Human Rights Institutions of Turkic States (TURKOMB)
In recent years, political, economic, cultural, and social relations among Turkic states have been further strengthened and expanded. Along with the development of cooperation between relevant institutions in these countries, the creation of regional unions has become one of the main topics on the agenda.
Discussions about the creation of a union of ombudsmen and national human rights institutions of Turkic-speaking countries have been ongoing for a long time between the Ombudsman Institutions of Azerbaijan and Türkiye. Over time, ombudsman institutions from other Turkic states also joined these discussions.
As a result of these efforts, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus agreed to establish the Association of Ombudsmen and National Human Rights Institutions of Turkic States (TURKOMB).
On May 12-13, 2022, a memorandum on the establishment of the association was signed by the heads of these institutions in Bursa, Türkiye. The main objectives of the memorandum are to facilitate the exchange of experiences among member institutions in various areas of human rights and to carry out joint awareness-raising activities.
To ensure the effective organization of the exchange of experiences within the association, the Ombudsman’s Office of Azerbaijan has carried out coordination efforts among member institutions and organized awareness-raising events.
On May 24-25, 2022, the heads and representatives of the member institutions of TURKOMB were invited to Baku by the Ombudsman of Azerbaijan to participate in an international conference held jointly with TURKPA. At the conclusion of the conference, the Baku Declaration of Ombudsmen was adopted.
On September 15, 2022, the Ombudsman’s Office of Azerbaijan organized an online training on the topic of "Protection of the Right to Access Information" for the employees of the member institutions of TURKOMB. The training provided detailed information about the mandate and experience of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman in this field.
On October 16-17, 2022, with the support of the UN Development Program, the Ombudsman’s Office of Azerbaijan organized a hybrid-format training on "Business and Human Rights" for the employees of TURKOMB member institutions.
Currently, the Ombudsman’s Office of Azerbaijan coordinates the activities of TURKOMB.
The members of TURKOMB:
The Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Ombudsman Institution of the Republic of Türkiye
Turkish Human Rights and Equality Institution
Ombudsman Institution of Kazakhstan
Ombudsman Institution of Kyrgyzstan
Ombudsman Institution of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan National Human Rights Center
Ombudsman Institution of Northern Cyprus
