Meeting between the High Commissioner and His Excellency the Minister of State

Following her appointment as Monaco's first High Commissioner on 19 March 2014, Anne Eastwood was invited to attend a meeting with His Excellency the Minister of State. The meeting was intended to signal the government's desire to work closely with the High Commissioner and support her in her role.

Mrs. Eastwood took the opportunity to highlight the need for government departments to support the new initiative and to understand the purpose of the High Commissioner's role. She stressed that the new system could only pay dividends if all stakeholders demonstrated full transparency. She also announced her intention to arrange an individual information meeting with each Ministry.

The head-to-head took place as part of a wider coordination meeting covering government "best practice", with a particular focus on the new High Commissioner's role. This coordination meeting was attended by various senior officials, including His Excellency Mr. Philippe Narmino, Secretary of Justice, Mr. Robert Colle, Secretary-General of the Ministry of State, and Mr. Laurent Anselmi, Chief Legal Advisor to the Government.

During this meeting, the changes to the Rules of Procedure of the Remand Prison were formally announced, under which inmates are now able to correspond with the High Commissioner in private, thereby respecting the necessary confidentiality of such correspondence.