The third webinar on ‘Enhancing the Role of the Ombudsman’ was held on 29 April 2021, with the members of the Ombudsman Institution along with participants from the Ministry of Justice, aiming to create a platform for discussion and exchange of opinions on the recommendations made by the Council of Europe Consultants.
The event provided the opportunity to consider and discuss the draft reports prepared in the framework of the project, namely, the Comparative Report on European Standards and Practices, Recommendations Report on Enhancing the Role of the Turkish Ombudsman and the Guidelines on the Ombudsman and Public Authorities, which aim at strengthening the role of the institution. The webinar hosted presentations of international consultants on “Strengthening Awareness, Access and Participation”, “Improving Public Administration” and “Expanding the Competence and Technique of the Ombudsman Institution”. The Turkish Ombudsman Institution shared its views on possible areas to be improved, as well as potential areas for empowerment, interrelations with the Turkish Grand National Assembly and public authorities and the need to have ex officio powers. The representatives of the institution reiterated their confidence in the project to further enhance their role and the recognition of their potential.
At the end of the webinar, it was agreed that the draft reports will be revised in accordance with the input received from the Ombudsman Institution and submitted for final review by the stakeholders.
The Joint Project on “Improving the Effectiveness of the Administrative Judiciary and Strengthening the Institutional Capacity of the Council of State” is co-funded by the European Union, the Republic of Turkey and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. The Turkish Ministry of Justice - Directorate General for Legal Affairs is the end beneficiary of the Project. The Central Finance and Contracts Unit is the contracting authority of this Project.
