The Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AOM) organized in collaboration and partnership with the French Defender of Rights and the Spanish Defender of the People, the third training session for the benefit of the collaborators of the Ombudsmen members of the AOM. The session was held on 18, 19 and 20 September 2012, at the Spanish College headquarters, located at the Cité Internationale de Paris, on the theme « Mediators and Ombudsmen facing the Migration Phenomenon ».

Mr. Abdelaziz Benzakour, President of the Ombudsman’s institution of the Kingdom of Morocco, supervised, as President of the Association, the opening session of this training. Experts representing the institutions of the Ombudsman of Morocco, the Defender of Rights of France, the Spanish Defender of the People, and the Office of Greek Ombudsman, as well as those representing the Council of Europe and the European Ombudsman, participated.

The session was attended by 17 participants from Morocco, France, Spain, Georgia, Turkey, Lebanon, Serbia, Albania, and Macedonia.

It focused on six modules, namely:

• Module 1: The possibility for Ombudsmen and Mediators to rely on the standards of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights with regard to the protection of migrants, was presented by the expert Maria Voutsino, senior investigator , Office of the Ombudsman, Greece;
• Module 2: Other international and national migrant protection devices, was presented by Elena Arce, head of Migration and Equal treatment, Institution of the Defender of the People, Spain.
  In parallel, a presentation on “Control by the European Ombudsman of the European Agency for External Borders (Frontex) and Human Rights” was presented by Marta Hirsch-Ziembi Korzyńska, head of Unit Complaints and Investigations, Institution of the European Ombudsman.
• Module 3: What impact the Ombudsman has on public policy on migrants, was introduced by Marta Hirsch-Ziembi Korzyńska, head of Unit Complaints and Investigations, Institution of the European Ombudsman;
• Module 4: The protection of isolated foreign minors was presented by Daniel Senovilla Hernandez, researcher at the CNRS;
• Module 5: The communication of the institutions of mediators: how to make themselves known to migrants, was introduced by Maria Voutsino, senior investigator, Office of the Ombudsman, Greece;
• Module 6: How to develop frameworks for exchanges between Ombudsmen institutions in host countries to protect migrants rights, was presented by Maria Voutsino, senior investigator, Office of the Ombudsman, Greece.

Download the report in French

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