Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Latvia receives „A” status accreditation

Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Latvia has received highest “A” status accreditation by the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions Sub-Committee on Accreditation.

Compliance with “A” status confers rights to vote, to participate in the work and decision making of International Coordination Committee, as well as participate in the work of the UN Human Rights Council and other UN mechanisms.

Accreditation in International Coordination Committee is required to get the highest internationally recognized evaluation of compliance with international standards of national human rights institutions. Accreditation gives also international recognition and protection as a human rights institution that complies with the Paris Principles.

Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Latvia has also received letter from United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in which he congratulated Office with accreditation and evaluated efforts of Ombudsman.

At the same time High Commissioner for Human Rights in his letter repeatedly and strongly underlines that national human rights institutions should be provided with adequate levels of funding in order to guarantee their independence in priority setting and choice of activities.