European and international action
28 septembre 2023
The Defender of Rights is the French interlocutor of European and international organizations for the defense of human rights
The Defender of Rights regularly intervenes on the European and international stage in areas within his field of competence. His role as a monitoring body for fundamental rights is recognised by the major European and international organisations (United Nations, European Union, Council of Europe, etc). He regularly produces independent reports on the implementation of international commitments ratified or approved by France. He is also actively involved in peer networks.
Dialogue with international organisations
The Defender of Rights is regularly called upon by international organisations (United Nations, European Union, Council of Europe, etc) to report on France’s compliance with fundamental rights.
They must ensure that the Member States implement and respect European and international standards in this area.
The Defender of Rights 6 with various United Nations committees and bodies:
He is responsible for monitoring the implementation of and compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). As part of this, it contributes to France's periodic reviews by the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by producing alternative reports.
He also drafts contributions for the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Human Rights Council and the Committee against Torture (CAT), among others.
The Defender of Rights informs the Council of Europe of France's compliance with its international human rights commitments.
In particular, he is in contact with:
- the European Commission for the Elimination of Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) ;
- the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT);
- the Commissioner for Human Rights;
- The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), where he submits observations as amicus curiae, and the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
At the European Union level
The Defender of Rights maintains contact with:
European institutions such as the European Commission and the European Parliament, but also the Council of the European Union and the EU Presidencies, particularly when it comes to lobbying in the context of negotiations on regulations or directives;
EU agencies responsible for fundamental rights, such as the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE);
And the Court of Justice of the European Union, to which he may also submit observations.
Exchanges with counterparts
The Defender of Rights is an active member of several peer networks.
As part of his mission to protect the rights and freedoms of public service users, he is responsible for:
- Secretary General of the Association des Ombudsmans et Médiateurs de la Francophonie (AOMF) ;
- Member of the European Network of Mediators;
- Member of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AOM).
As part of his mission to combat discrimination and promote equality, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the European Network of Anti-Discrimination Organisations (EQUINET).
As part of his mission to protect children's rights, the Defender of Rights is an active member of the European Network of Ombudsmen for Children (ENOC).
In line with his mission to uphold the professional ethics of security professionals, the institution is a founding member and coordinator of the informal Independent Police Complaints Authority Network (IPCAN).
As part of his role in guiding and protecting whistleblowers, he is also a founding member of the Network of European Whistleblowing Authorities (NEIWA).
Finally, the Defender of Rights has forged special partnerships with a number of his counterparts.