11 1. THE ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND HIS DEPUTIES IN 2019 1.1. E DYNAMIC INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT BY THE OMBUDSMAN ach of the 15 Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners who have fulfilled this position over the 25-year history of the institution have worked towards extending the international relations of the Office. The Office has signed numerous cooperation agreements, contacted partner institutions involved in human rights and the international protection of rights, and joined many scientific centres and networks. In the same vein, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights continued to enlarge his Mr. Werner Amon, Dr. Ákos Kozma and Mr. Walter Rosenkranz at the Austrian Ombudsman Board, 2 December 2019 international relations network in 2019. As the first instance of bilateral networking, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Dr. Ákos Kozma and Secretary General Dr. Réka Varga travelled to Vienna on 2 December 2019, where they were received by President of the Austrian Ombudsman Board and Secretary General of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) Mr. Werner Amon and Member of the Austrian Ombudsman Board Mr. Walter Rosenkranz at the headquarters of the Board. Regarding multilateral relations – another facet of international In addition to pursuing and maintaining the exist- cooperation –, contacts were maintained with the Ombudsman net- ing bilateral relations, the Commissioner contacted the works and other networks operating in the field of legal protection Commissioner for Administration and Human Rights of and human rights, created for the handling of common objectives Cyprus, the Chief Ombudsmen of Turkey, Thailand and the and issues. The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights joined the Russian Federations, as well as the Ombudsman Institution newly established international Network of European Integrity and the National Anti-Corruption Centre of Moldova. and Whistleblowing Authorities (NEIWA), set up at the initiative of the Dutch Ombudsman. For more details on this topic, see Chapter 2.3. European Union: • FRA - European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights • ERA - Academy of European Law Council of Europe: •E  uropean Court of Human Rights •E  uropean Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) •C  ommissioner for Human Rights •G  roup of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) •E  uropean Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) •F  ramework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) •V  enice Commission • GRECO •C  ongress of Local and Regional Authorities Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe: •H  igh Commissioner on National Minorities • Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights United Nations: •O  ffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) •T  reaty Bodies •S  pecial Procedures •H  uman Rights Council • U PR •U  NDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, FAO The network of European and international human rights institutions surrounding the Office