3. The Ombudsman as a National Human Rights Institution 3.1. Background After the world conflict of 1939-1945, the member States of the United Nations were encouraged to devise entities that, locally and autonomously, promoted and defended human rights. With this change of paradigm, it was then understood that the different member States should establish human rights committees that were independent of the powers of the State (legislative, executive and judicial), which would Disclosure of those rights. It was, however, in the 1990s that, following the meeting held in Paris under the motto National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and in the subsequent acceptance of the principles emanated, national human rights institutions, in their different conformations, they affirmed themselves. In Portugal, the Ombudsman’s role in the Ombudsman’s role has always been one of the distinguishing quid of the Ombudsman. In addition to the classic activity of assessing the complaints received about (in)justice and (il)legality of the exercise of public powers, it is up to this State body to promote and defend the essential rights, freedoms and guarantees of citizens. For this reason, since 1999, the Ombudsman has been a National Human Rights Institution duly accredited by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (formerly known as the International Coordination Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights) with status «A». This means that the performance developed by this state body in this dress is in full compliance with the Paris Principles. As the National Human Rights Institution, the Ombudsman is responsible for the constant promotion and uncompromising defense of human rights. With a view to pursuing this aim, this State body may initiate proceedings on its own initiative and have at its disposal various means of ascertaining the facts, such as conducting inspections, consulting multiple documents and hearing a good amount. In addition, the Ombudsman presents himself as a privileged interlocutor with national and international organizations, and therefore has a range of rights of participation in the UN Human Rights Council and the Special Committees provided for in international legal instruments. These participation rights include the provision of autonomous contributions, meeting assistance and intervention (oral and written) in the framework of the periodic universal review mechanism, as well as in the specific mechanisms for verifying compliance with the obligations internationally assumed by the Portuguese State. 78 |