10 CHAPTER I. THE DEPARTMENT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN, RELIGIOUS CULTS AND NATIONAL MINORITIES As it appears from the designation of the department, it covers the issue of human rights in general, which is reflected in the large number of complaints received, encompassing complex cases regarding the rights and freedoms of individuals. Out of the total number of 1535 petitions distributed to the department, were taken steps to the relevant public authorities for a number of 200 complaints, and for the rest of them, the natural persons were directed to the responsible institutions, authorized by law, indicating to them the legal way to be followed, or specifying the conditions under which the People's Advocate Institution can intervene in solving the cases referred to it. Of the complaints in which violations of fundamental rights and freedoms were reported, as in previous years, most concerned the violation of the right to petition (190) the right to information (371) and the right of the person aggrieved by a public authority (136). From the analysis carried out at the level of the department, it resulted that the majority of the files were solved in the favor of the complainant, by obtaining the requested information or the answers to the petitions addressed to the institutions by the complainants During 2019, were carried out 21 investigations at several public institutions, and, in some cases, were also included provisions having the nature of recommendations in the minutes of the visit, which, in most cases, the authorities concerned accepted, so it was no longer necessary to issue recommendations under Art. 24 of Law no. 35/1997, republished. The department proceeded ex officio in 52 situations, using this institutional procedure in the case of systemic issues concerning the field of activity of the department. These were aimed at issues in the field of health and education, healthy environment, equality of rights, etc. There were issued 15 recommendations. There have been situations where, as a result of some steps taken in this regard, central public institutions have reformed normative acts, without being issued recommendations. We emphasize the good interinstitutional collaboration, in order to solve the cases reported by the complainants or the media, in particular with: the Ministry of Education and Research, the National Council for Combating Discrimination, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport, the Direction for Culture of the Municipality of Bucharest. Among the authorities that did not provide the necessary support to the People's Advocate Institution in exercising its duties, the following are highlighted: Bucharest City Hall, Street Administration, Ilfov County Commissioner of the Environmental Guard. Examples of cases successfully solved, by authorities that were open to collaboration: Education The People's Advocate Institution has proceeded ex officio regarding the situation encountered at the Faculty of Letters within the University of Bucharest, where an internal investigation has been started after a member of a political party reported, on social media, PEOPLE’S ADVOCATE ANNUAL REPORT 2019