Remarks by H.E. Annalena Baerbock
President of the 80th Session of the Â鶹APP General Assembly
at the High-Level Panel on Ombudsman Institutions?
Monday, 18 May 2026
Economic and Social Council Chamber
[As Delivered]
Excellencies,
Colleagues,
When a public service fails, when a government decision is unfair, or when authorities abuse their power, people need somewhere to turn.
They need an institution that can listen, investigate, and help restore accountability before injustice becomes entrenched.
For many citizens, ombudsman institutions play precisely that role.
They provide accessible and impartial mechanisms to challenge unfairness, abuse, maladministration, and the misuse of public authority.
Ideally, they act quickly, independently, and without the cost or complexity that often prevents people from seeking justice.
That is why independent ombudsman institutions are critical to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
They also contribute directly to Sustainable Development Goal 16 by strengthening accountable institutions, advancing access to justice, and helping build peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.
But ombudsman institutions can only fulfil this role credibly if their independence is protected in both law and practice.
This requires freedom from political pressure, intimidation, financial coercion, and arbitrary interference.
It also requires transparent appointment procedures, security of tenure, financial autonomy, adequate resources, and safeguards against undue influence.
The Venice Principles, adopted by the Venice Commission in 2019 and subsequently acknowledged by the General Assembly in resolution 75/186, were developed to give practical meaning to these protections.
They provide the first dedicated international framework for ombudsman institutions, establishing standards on mandates, appointments, operational independence, resources, and protection from interference.
They also build on the Paris Principles, endorsed by the General Assembly in 1993, which established minimum standards for national human rights institutions.
Together, these frameworks affirm a simple but vital principle:
Institutions entrusted with protecting rights and ensuring oversight also need protection themselves.
This is especially important because many ombudsman institutions are also mandated to function as national human rights institutions, giving them a wider role in defending rights, addressing grievances, and strengthening public trust.
Yet today, ombudsman institutions are operating in ever more constrained environments.
They face political interference, legal harassment, budgetary pressure, and administrative obstacles, all of which weaken their mandates and limit their operational independence.
These pressures also affect the people who lead and staff these institutions.
Many face intimidation, smear campaigns, online abuse, and physical threats because of their work.
Meanwhile, public authority is becoming more complex.
Decisions that affect people¡¯s rights and access to services are increasingly shaped by digital systems, automated processes, and emergency responses to overlapping crises.
Artificial intelligence, automated decision-making, and digital governance are creating new risks for public administration and individual rights.
Climate-related crises, displacement, inequality, and shrinking civic space are placing further pressure on institutions and communities, increasing the risk that grievances go unheard, rights violations go unaddressed, and public trust continues to erode.
In this context, ombudsman institutions are more necessary than ever, and so too is the need to uphold the Venice Principles in practice.
Therefore, let us move from affirmation to implementation:
By protecting independence, defending mandates, and supporting those who carry out this work.
And by ensuring that ombudsman institutions can serve the public with integrity, impartiality, and courage.
For ultimately, upholding the independence of ombudsman institutions is a commitment to the people we serve.
People whose grievances deserve to be heard, whose rights deserve to be protected, and whose trust in public institutions must be earned.
I thank you.
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