34 Reception of trainees at the Office – 14 March 2019 Training sessions Climate researcher Dr. Diána Ürge-Vorsatz, the Hungarian member of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Professor of Central European University held an internal training at the Office on 1 March 2019. Dr. Diána Ürge-Vorsatz has taken part in the scientific activity of IPCC for a long time, an organisation awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. She is currently the chair of IPCC’s working group that is responsible for the reduction of carbon-dioxide emission. In her talk, Dr. Diána Ürge-Vorsatz discussed, among others, whether global warming can be halted at 1.5 degrees Celsius and if so, how. The Ombudsman’s tent at the Generali Children’s Island – 8 June 2019 She also touched upon the most common misbeliefs related to climate change and their factual refutation, then she described the tasks to be performed on the international and Hungarian levels, and what we can do as private individuals to mitigate the effects. Legal development and information programmes, book premiere events In 2019, the National Election Office organised the secondary school competition titled “Beyond the First X – Create Your Future, Make a Choice” for the third time, which began in September 2018 and ended on 28 February 2019. The goal of the contest was to familiarise young people with the significance of Hungarian and European dem- The journal “Barátság” (“Friendship”) celebrated the 25th anniver- ocratic institutions, with special regard to elections. In 2019, there sary of its foundation on 15 March 2019. On this occasion, the editori- were not only municipal but also European Parliamentary elections al staff of the journal organised an anniversary event jointly with our in Hungary, so the topics of this year’s contest were grouped around Office. The periodical was founded by Ms. Éva Mayer, who had been the knowledge on the operation of international organisations and EU distinguished with the Justitia Regnorum Fundamentum Award of institutions, mainly that of the European Parliament. At the initiative our Office, with her colleague Ms. Mária Ember, with a view to pro- of the Chairman of the National Election Office, as the closing of the moting understanding and acceptance between the various ethnic event, the students visited our Office on 1 March 2019, and they listened groups in our multi-ethnic country by sharing knowledge on the to the presentation given by the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights history, traditions and culture of the individual ethnic communities. about the operation of the Office. At the Generali Children’s Island programme series organised on Hajógyári Island, the staff members of the Office were present on 8-9 June 2019. This event was an excellent opportunity for the staff members to become familiar with the opinions and problems of the children and their parents, to listen to their questions and help the development of rights awareness in a playful form, as well as to achieve that everyone become aware of the operation and responsibilities of the Ombudsman institution, and the methods and options for lodging complaints. Closing event of the contest organised by the National Election Office at the Office – 1 March 2019 REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF HUNGARY AND HIS DEPUTIES – 2019