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Armenian constitution, the constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and
the Ombudsman legislation in North Macedonia.
More commonly, legislative provisions are made empowering the
Ombudsman to appoint his or her own staff. In Romania, for example, the
People’s Advocate’s legislation makes clear that he or she appoints his
or her own staff and determines the structure of the organisation. In
Malta, the Ombudsman’s legislation similarly empowers the Ombudsman
to appoint staff, to determine the number of staff appointed, their duties,
salaries, and terms and conditions of appointment.
It is rare that specific legislative provisions are made in relation to training,
however, an example of this is North Macedonia’s Ombudsman
legislation which confers a right, and imposes a duty, on the Ombudsman
and his or her staff to take part in continuous professional training and
improvement, with funds set aside for this purpose. In the Russian
Federation the Scientific and Educational Centre for Human Rights at the
Moscow State Academy of Law was established by the High
Commissioner for Human Rights to provide professional training to staff
members of the federal and regional Ombudsman’s offices.

Protecting the Ombudsman institution

Principle 7

Examples of legislative provisions specifically designed to protect the
Ombudsman from threats and harassment are not widespread.
Nevertheless, in Armenia and North Macedonia provisions exist which
allow the Ombudsman to call upon State protection if required. In
Armenia, the Ombudsman and his family are recognised as being under
special protection of the State, with State bodies required to assist the
Ombudsman to ensure his or her security. Similarly, in North Macedonia,
the Ombudsman’s legislation confers a right on the Ombudsman to police
protection where there are serious threats to his or her safety.

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