The term ombudsman refers to the Ombudsman.
Ombudsman is a Swedish term that is not included in the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) dictionary . The term is used as an equivalent to the Public Defender , a public office that exists in many political regimes.
The ombudsman is responsible for ensuring that citizens' rights are not trampled on by the State . The mission of this official is to guarantee respect for the rights of each individual within the framework of any type of judicial, administrative, bureaucratic or other action.
Function of the ombudsman
What the ombudsman does, therefore, is to defend the rights of people and, at the same time, to ensure that the government in power does not violate these freedoms and protections of the subjects. The ombudsman has the particularity of being an official who receives the position through an election by Congress , after his figure has been subjected to a public debate, but who is independent of that same Congress.
Although their power depends on the Constitution of each country, they generally do not have the power to sanction authorities or force them to take measures. Typically, their scope is political, making suggestions and trying to persuade authorities.
The ombudsman can, however, lead actions that seek to involve a court or even the Supreme Court so that his proposals become effective and binding.
It should be noted that, in addition to his active role, the ombudsman can also receive and respond to complaints from citizens who request his assistance.
The ombudsman seeks to ensure that the State does not trample on citizens' rights.
An international organization
Also known by its acronym ( FIO ), the Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen is a group that was founded in 1995 in Cartagena de Indias , Colombia , and which includes Attorneys, Reasoners, Suppliers, Commissioners and Presidents of Public Commissions on Human Rights and Ombudsmen of the Ibero-American countries at the regional, provincial, autonomous, national or state levels.
This federation is governed by its Statute (which was approved on August 5, 1995 in Cartagena de Indias and amended three times, in 1999, 2000 and 2006 ), as well as by the resolutions adopted by the Steering Committee and the General Assembly, according to the type of decision that must be taken at each step. It is worth mentioning that its highest authority is the General Assembly, which is made up of its highest ranking members.
The Steering Committee is made up of the heads of the national bodies that form part of the Federation and three people representing foreign bodies, in order to ensure the representation of the different geographic regions. Historically, these non-national representatives have been from Spain (which has regional Ombudsman offices), Mexico (where there are State Human Rights Commissions) and Argentina (a country that has provincial Ombudsman offices).
Objectives of the Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen
The main goal of the Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen is to create a space for discussion to exchange experiences, for cooperation and to promote, disseminate and strengthen the institution of the Ombudsman in its jurisdiction at a geographical level.
But its objectives do not end there, as the FIO also seeks to:
* strengthen, expand and promote the culture of Human Rights in the countries of origin of its members;
* create and maintain collaborative ties with non-governmental organizations that advocate for the defense, promotion and respect of Human Rights;
* fight for the promotion of research and studies on topics within its competence, with the aim of achieving peaceful coexistence among peoples and collaborating in strengthening the rule of law and the democratic regime.