High Commissioner undertakes study visit to Luxembourg

As part of a process of sharing best practices with her peers, the High Commissioner travelled to Luxembourg for a study visit on 7 and 8 July. The visit was undertaken at the invitation of Ms Lydie Err, Mediator of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and Mr René Schlechter, Chair of the Ombuds-Committee for the Rights of the Child (ORK).

A small European nation with a deeply rooted Catholic tradition, a dynamic and highly prosperous economy, and a system of constitutional monarchy which guarantees the stability of the country’s institutions and their democratic functioning on the basis of dialogue and pursuit of consensus between the branches of power, Luxembourg has much in common with the Principality. The country also finds itself striving to preserve its national specificities despite very early integration within the European Union, of which it is one of the founding members.

This visit was a chance to hold meetings with the main independent institutions working to protect rights and freedoms in Luxembourg, each of which has its own remit.

In addition to some extremely rewarding working sessions with the Mediator of the Grand Duchy and the Ombuds-Committee for the Rights of the Child teams, whose founding documents date back around ten years and are currently being revised to increase the visibility and further enhance the effectiveness of the work of these bodies, the High Commissioner was also able to meet Mr Mario Huberty, Chairman of the Panel of the Centre for Equal Treatment, the organisation responsible for combatting discrimination, and Mr Gilbert Pregno, President of the Luxembourg Consultative Commission on Human Rights.

The High Commissioner was invited to give a presentation to the members of the Commission on the new mechanism for protecting rights and mediation in Monaco, providing an opportunity to better publicise this initiative, as well as the role of the High Commissioner as a national human rights institution, at the international level.

Anne Eastwood, who was accompanied on this visit by her deputy, Cécile Vacarie-Bernard, was delighted with the highly professional and warm welcome her interlocutors offered the Monegasque institution. She expressed her hope that the contacts made during the visit would become deeper over time, given the numerous similarities which exist between Monegasque and Luxembourg institutions, and the interest, highlighted by these discussions, in drawing inspiration from the often original and pragmatic solutions implemented by both sides to better serve citizens and the public interest.