The people’s ombudsman Mihail Cotorobai, who recently took up his duties, announced the priorities of his term, including the intention to strengthen the institution’s capacities for more efficient functioning and the wish to develop the relations with civil society, the mass media, internal and foreign partners. In a news conference at IPN, Mihail Cotorobai said the office of the people’s ombudsman will make sure that the Center for Human Rights continues its work and will put to good use the positive experience accumulated by the Center during its 17 years of activity.
Among the immediate priorities are to successfully complete the institutional reform, to create the office’s new team and to update the institution’s structure. In order to establish closer cooperation with the mass media, Mihail Cotorobai will stage informal meetings with journalists and press club meetings of the office of the people’s ombudsman, where to discuss pressing problems faced in the area of human rights.
In another development, the people’s ombudsman said at the current stage the office will focus on the fight against discrimination, torture and ill-treatment, the promotion of children’s rights and the rights of persons with disabilities and the combating of domestic violence. The office will also make sure that the right to medical services of a high quality is respected and will deal with the cases of malpractice and environment-related problems as well as with loud cases concerning the observance of human rights.
Mihail Cotorobai also said that he wants to develop the relations with civil society that puts forward useful and efficient initiatives for promoting and protecting the human rights and for improving the situation in this field in Moldova. Another priority is to increase the credibility and authority of the office of the people’s ombudsman so that this is regarded as a key state institution promoting and protecting human rights.
Mihail Cotorobai noted the potential beneficiaries of the office of the people’s ombudsman are mainly people from rural areas, who know their rights the least. Therefore, he intends to make visits to district centers and villages to get acquainted with the local mayors and to inform as many people as possible about the office, the people’s ombudsmen and their duties.
In the conference, there was presented the new version of the website of the office of the people’s ombudsman www.ombudsman.md.
