Status
UNCAT ratification date
21 October 1987
OPCAT ratification date
4 April 2006
NPM designated
Ombudsperson's Office (Defensoría del Pueblo)
NPM Type
Ombuds Institution
NPM Legal Framework
Organic Law N°1/2009 (3 November 2009), Final Disposition designating the Ombudsperson's Office as NPM.
Spain ratified the OPCAT in 2006. Three years later the Ombudsperson’s Office was designated as NPM, through a reform of the organic law 3/1081 of the Ombudsperson’s Office. This followed a debate where several NPM options were initially discussed.
A specific NPM unit was established within the institution to perform the NPM function and an Advisory Council was established in 2013.
The SPT member who is the SPT Focal Point for Spain is available here.
NPM Structure
NPM UNIT
A new NPM unit was established in February 2010 within the Spanish Ombudsperson’s Office. The NPM Unit is under the responsibility of the First Deputy Ombudsperson (see organisational chart, page 20, for further information). The NPM Unit is coordinated by a Coordinator, who is assisted by two Deputy Coordinators.
advisory council
The legislation designating the Spanish Ombudsperson's Office as NPM provides for the establishment of an Advisory Council to cooperate with the NPM on technical and legal issues.
In 2012, the Internal Regulations of the Spanish Ombudsperson's Office were amended to reflect the NPM functions and regulate the mandate of the Advisory Council.
The members of the Advisory Council were designated in May 2013 and the Council started to function in June 2013.