In partnership with the Ibero-American Ombudsman Federation (FIO), the German Cooperation implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and PROFIO, the APT is conducting an ambitious project to better understand common challenges and good practices among ombuds institutions with a mandate as National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) in the Ibero-American region.
The project will cover the following countries: Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, Uruguay, Spain, Portugal, Nicaragua and Mexico.
Through a mix of in-depth country visits – to Portugal, Uruguay and Ecuador – and survey data, the project seeks to understand all aspects of NPM functioning, including: mandate and scope; information sharing; finances; visits, reports and recommendations; representation and interaction; communication and visibility; and accountability.
Following the first research phase, the project will then conduct a thorough analysis and validation of the findings, including by sharing preliminary results with participating institutions. Final conclusions will then be discussed and published at a workshop in Panama, taking place in September 2017.
Beyond the region under analysis, it is also hoped that the findings will be of use to other ombuds institutions with such a mandate, particularly in Europe, where they make up the majority of established NPMs.
The project is linked to APT’s strategy to improve oversight and independent monitoring of places of deprivation of liberty. It builds on a great deal of previous work with these institutions both in the region and beyond, notably a 2016 working meeting which brought together all Latin American NPMs and LPMs for the first time.
