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Ombudsmen Ms. Fatma Benli Yalçın, Mr. Sadettin Kalkan, Mr. Abdullah Cengiz Makas, and Mr. Özcan Yıldız made presentations to the Joint Committee, which consists of the members of the Petition Committee and the Human Rights Inquiry Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (GNAT), regarding their respective areas of duty within the scope of the 2024 Annual Report. Secretary General of the Ombudsman Institution of Türkiye, Mr. Mehmet Doğan, also attended the meeting.

Speaking at the Committee Meeting, Ombudsman Ms. Fatma Benli Yalçın stated that her office examines complaints concerning women’s rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, social services, children's rights, and the protection of the family, in line with the internal division of work.

Ombudsman Ms. Fatma Benli Yalçın: Even through our work on a single complaint, we have the opportunity to issue decisions that can impact tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people facing the same issue.

Stating that the work of the Ombudsman Institution extends beyond issuing decisions solely based on complaints, Ms. Fatma Benli Yalçın noted, “Even a single complaint allows us to issue decisions that can impact tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people facing the same issue—thanks to the authority we derive from the Parliament. At this point, we benefit from our status as a Constitutional Institution. When we receive complaints, the Parliament is able to identify deficiencies or systemic problems in the functioning of the administration. By maintaining extensive communication with the relevant administrative bodies, we are able to convey these shortcomings to them and contribute to the resolution of the root causes of these issues.”

Ombudsman Mr. Sadettin Kalkan stated that his area of responsibility includes resolving disputes regarding the public personnel regime based on the complaints received, and that recommendation decisions on such matters are issued to the relevant administrations.

Stating that the most common complaints lodged by citizens are regarding recruitment, reassignment and relocation, financial entitlements, the conduct and behavior of public personnel, disciplinary sanctions, and staff recruitment processes, Ombudsman Mr. Kalkan noted, “In 2024, the total number of complaints received regarding public personnel disputes was 3,170. Of these, 879 complaints were found admissible and proceeded to substantive examination, corresponding to 28% of the total number of complaints. Among these admissible complaints, 364 refusal decisions were issued, along with 253 recommendation decisions, 162 partial recommendation and partial refusal decisions, and 100 amicable settlement decisions. All decisions were duly communicated to the relevant individuals, institutions, and administrative bodies.”

Ombudsman Mr. Abdullah Cengiz Makas emphasized that the Ombudsman Institution of Türkiye is constitutionally authorized to examine complaints regarding the functioning of the administration in terms of compliance with the law and fairness.

Explaining that he is responsible for examining complaints received in the fields of labor and social security, economy, finance, and issues concerning public workers, Ombudsman Mr. Makas stated, “In 2024, we received a total of 1,039 complaints in the field of labor and social security. Nearly half of these were directly related to the social security system. To give a breakdown: 36% werre regarding Social Insurance Institution (SSK), 16.75% Pension Fund (Emekli Sandığı), and around 1% regarding the Social Security Organization for Artisans and Self-Employed (Bağ-Kur). Another significant portion of complaints in this field was related to labor law, constituting approximately one-quarter of the total applications. Issues between employees and employers represented approximately 10%.”

Ombudsman Mr. Özcan Yıldız: “The Ombudsman Institution has made substantial contributions to the realization of the rule of law and will continue to do so in the future.”

In his address, Ombudsman Mr. Özcan Yıldız emphasized that the Ombudsman Institution works both as an oversight mechanism and as the compassionate face of public administration, acting as the voice of public conscience. He underscored the role of the Ombudsman Institution as a bridge of communication between individuals and the administration.

Ombudsman Mr. Yıldız emphasized that, since its establishment in 2012, the Institution has contributed not only to enhancing the efficiency and quality of public administration and public service delivery through its decisions, annual reports, and special reports, but also to strengthening public awareness and the culture of seeking legal remedies. He stated, “The Institution has made — and will continue to make — significant contributions to the protection and promotion of human rights and to the realization of the rule of law. As of December 2024, in accordance with the internal division of work, complaints received under the categories of education, youth and sports; forestry, water, environment, and urban development; transportation, media and communications; energy, industry, customs and trade; food, agriculture and livestock; and science, arts, culture and tourism are examined and decided upon by the Ombudsman Office I preside over, together with my expert colleagues.”