Office of High Commissioner participates in 11th meeting of Mediterranean Ombudsmen network on contemporary challenges affecting governance in the Mediterranean

The 11th Meeting of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AOM) was held in Nafplio (Greece) on 4 and 5 October 2021.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which has been a member of the AOM since 2016, took part in this event organised around a thematic conference in advance of the General Assembly.

The aim of the meeting was to share the national experiences of members on the issues of regulating human movement and climate disruption, the two challenges that are today driving discussions on how shared governance might work in the Mediterranean. The meeting also addressed institutional issues specific to the association, which were debated among members, with consensus always the strict rule in decision-making.

Speakers presented the status of legislation in their territories on the management of human rights, emphasising the difficulties of resolving migratory tensions. They also shared their progress in fighting climate change, explaining the various mechanisms that have been developed in their territories.

Members agreed that it had become necessary for the Mediterranean basin to set an example in the field of sustainable energy, since in this regard the Mediterranean is an endangered yet rich area, which it is therefore vital to preserve. Among other things, the AOM encouraged “all countries in the Mediterranean region and neighbouring region to coordinate their policies on civil protection and to develop general policies and, if possible, integrated capacities to provide operational assistance and emergency aid in the event of natural disasters.”

Faced with the challenges raised by the management of migration flows in some AOM member countries, the need to work to ensure respect for human rights was once again stressed. Ombudsmen are key players and important interlocutors in the response to this universal imperative. The AOM invited members “to develop the synergies and tools required to effectively monitor potential violations of human rights and application of the principle of non-refoulement within their respective territories.”

The Office of the High Commissioner was represented at the conference by Méryl Thiel, Legal Advisor for International Relations.