43 2. THE COMMISSIONER FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND HIS DEPUTIES IN HUNGARY AND ABROAD Visit of Ukrainian Ombudsman for Children Mr. Nikolai Kuleba and his colleagues at the Office, 6 September 2019 Dr. Ákos Kozma travelled to Moscow in December 2019, where he attended an international conference titled “Issues of the Protection of Human Rights in the Eurasian Region: Sharing the Best Practices of Ombudsmen”. The participants exchanged their views concerning the effect of the integration processes of the Eurasian region on the protection of human and civil rights, as well as freedoms, the application of the monitoring mechanisms of National Human Rights Institutions, and the protection of the rights of migrants, refugees and stateless persons. The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights conducted bilateral talks with Ms. Tatyana Nikolayevna Moskalkova and Chief Ombudsman of the Republic of Turkey Mr. Şeref Malkoç. Visit of Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Dr. Ákos Kozma at Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation Ms. Tatyana Nikolayevna Moskalkova – 18 December 2019 In addition to the above-mentioned Moldavian training cooperation, during which the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights built in- 2.4. O  PCAT NPM INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES S imilarly to the previous years, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) carried out intensive international work in depth professional relations with the Moldavian Ombudsman’s Office 2019 as well. In addition to participating in international confer- and the Moldavian National Anti-corruption Centre, the Ukrainian ences and further trainings, the NPM staff pursued consultations Ombudsman for Children and the students of the Kiev University of on a number of issues with relevant partners on several occa- Law also paid a visit to our Office. sions, provided information about the operation of the Hungarian The expert staff members of the Ukrainian Ombudsman for NPM, or requested assistance from the NPMs of other countries. Children Mr. Nikolai Kuleba, Presidential Deputy for the protection Moreover, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights and his of the rights of the child, as well as the delegation of social workers colleagues regularly participated in research projects of partner of Ukrainian civil society organisations held a meeting at the Office institutions, and took every opportunity to disseminate infor- of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights on 6 September 2019. mation on the activities of the NPM as widely as possible also at The purpose of the visit was to gain first-hand experience about the international level. the Hungarian programmes called “Biztos Kezdet” (Sure Start) and “Tanoda” (Second Chance School), the possibilities of young adults living with disabilities to start their lives independently or with support, and to gather all the best practices that they could successfully apply in Ukraine. The professional meeting held in the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights was attended by Dr. Elisabeth Sándor-Szalay, Deputy Commissioner, Ombudsman for the Rights of National Minorities, as well as the staff members of the Department for Equal Opportunities and Children’s Rights of the Office. Upon the invitation of Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation Ms. Tatyana Nikolayevna Moskalkova, Ombudsman Our main international partners in 2019 were as follows: the United Nations (Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture – SPT, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights – OHCHR), South-East Europe NPM Network (SEE), European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) of the Council of Europe, as well as other NPMs, and various other organisations.