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Coordination and cooperation among Ombudsman institutions at
the national level

Principle 12
In the United Kingdom, the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s legislation
allows him or her to investigate complaints jointly with the Local
Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Health Ombudsman,
where a complaint cuts across jurisdictions.

In some countries, broader provisions exist in relation to cooperation
outside of specific investigations. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, for
example, the Ombudsman has a duty to promote cooperation among the
Ombudsman institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This includes a duty
to establish a network of liaison officers to disseminate the activities of
the Ombudsman; organise regular meetings of the Ombudsman
institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina; organise seminars and
workshops; and represent the Ombudsman institutions of Bosnia and
Herzegovina in international fora.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation’s
Annual Report for 2016 highlights how the institution collaborates with
counterparts at regional level in practice. This includes cooperation in the
consideration of citizens’ complaints; coordination of human rights
activities; assistance and sharing of experience between regional
Commissioners; assisting with the development of legislation on regional
Commissioners; and holding meetings with regional Commissioners. In
the Russian Federation, due to the territorial organisation of the State, in
addition to the federal High Commissioner, there is a network of regional
Commissioners who work in each of the 85 constituent entities of the
country. In 2011, the all-Russian Coordination Council of Commissioners
for Human Rights was established as an institutional framework for the
Ombudsman community; twice a year the Council holds thematic
meetings and sends recommendations to State bodies for addressing
systemic problems as a follow-up thereto.

Promoting the implementation of international standards

Principle 13
Several Ombudsman institutions have a specific legislative mandate to
promote human rights and assist in the implementation of international
treaties, notably the European Convention on Human Rights. In Finland,
for example, the Ombudsman is tasked with hosting a Human Rights
Centre whose role includes: promoting information, education, training

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