Azerbaijan's Ombudsman institution elected as full member of European Network of Ombudspersons for Children

Nigar Aghayeva, Head of the Child Rights Protection Unit, and Ayten Tarverdiyeva, Head of the Unit for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan, participated in the 29th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC), held in Bucharest, Romania, Report informs via AZERTAC.

The event, dedicated to the theme "Protecting and Promoting Children's Right to Physical Health" was attended by ombudspersons and representatives of ENOC member institutions, heads of relevant organizations, officials responsible for children's rights from international organizations, and experts.

During the event, Nigar Aghayeva delivered a speech, providing information on the progress achieved by the Ombudsman in children's rights protection over the past period. She highlighted positive experiences, proposals put forward and considered for the improvement of legislation, the establishment of a specialized structural unit for children's rights within the institution, and the expanded powers granted to the Ombudsman in the field of children's rights protection following amendments to the Constitutional Law "On the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan." She also noted the creation of an independent monitoring group for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Taking these reforms into account, at the 29th ENOC General Assembly, Azerbaijan's Ombudsman institution was admitted to full membership from associate membership by a majority vote of member institutions. As a result of these changes, the Ombudsman institution now meets the criteria outlined in Article 4 of the ENOC Statutes for full membership.

Within the framework of the event, discussions were held on ENOC's activities over the past period and its future action plan, and the ENOC statement on "Protecting and Promoting Children's Right to Physical Health" was approved.

As part of the visit, participants visited the "Barnahus" center in Bucharest, which supports child victims of violence, and familiarized themselves with the center's activities and experiences.