On October 7, inst., a staff member of the Ombudsperson’s Office presented the key points of the Ombudsperson Institution’s Report for the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review, within the UPR Info Presession, in Geneva.
The head of the Human Rights Promotion, International Relations and Communication Department, Natalia Visanu, was one of the six speakers representing the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and the civil society of Moldova, who made statements about the reports developed for the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review and answered the questions of the diplomats accredited with the UN. Statement of the Ombudsperson's Office
In Geneva, the representative of the Ombudsperson’s Institution, together with the president of the Council on Prevention and Elimination of Discrimination and Ensuring Equality, Ian Feldman, as well as representatives of some NGOs, which have developed alternative reports for the cycle II of UPR, have had bilateral meetings with diplomats from the permanent UN missions of Germany, Netherlands, and Mexico, where they informed about the issues addressed in the reports of the second UPR cycle and the recommendations made for the Moldovan authorities.
Natalia Visanu took part in the meetings with the OHCHR staff in Geneva, organized with the support of the Office of the UN High Commissioner in Moldova. Therefore, the meeting with Jon Izagirre Garcia, officer in the subdivision against torture, there were discussed issues related to preventing and fighting torture, ways of cooperation among the NHRIs and the staff of the UN special rapporteur on torture.
Within a dialogue with the representative of the Individual Complaints subdivision of the UN Committees, Anita Trimaylova, discussion were held around the possibilities of using the Ombudsperson’s Institution within the mechanisms of filing complaints to the Council for Human Rights, the UN Committees, the special rapporteurs, as well as the need to promote these mechanisms and inform the public about the opportunities provided by them in terms of protection of human rights and freedoms.
A number of subjects were tackled within the meetings with the OHCHR staff in Geneva, among which the Human Rights Officer, Allison Thomas, the representative of the Humar Rights Committee, Momoko Nomura, the representative of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Harumi Fuentes, thestaff of the special rapporteurs team, the staff of the subdivisions on minority issues, equality and non-discrimination. The alternative reports and the key issues addressed in the reports were presented. In addition, the representatives of NHRIs and the NGOs presented a series of facts about the current human rights situation and challenges existing in Moldova, on the request of the OHCHR representatives from Geneva.
Natalia Visanu also took part in the Universal Periodic Review training organized by UPR Info, which covered the UPR stages and process, practical advice on carrying out an efficient advocacy campaign, and the development of reports and recommendations that would draw the attention of diplomats and the latter would include these in their recommendations for the country, as well as other suggestions for increasing the contribution of the NHRIs and NGOs in the UPR process.
