Table Of ContentTHE OMBUDSMAN, GOOD GOVERNANCE
AND THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM
International Studies in Human Rights
VOLUME 79
The Titles published in this series are listed at the end of this volume.
The Ombudsman, Good Govemance and
the International Human Rights System
by
LINDA C. REIF
SPRINGER-SCffiNCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
A C.I.P. Catalogue record of this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Parts of Chapters, I, 3-8 and 12 are from L.C. Reif, "Building Democratic Institutions: The RoJe of National
Human Rights Institutions in Good Govemance and Human Rights Protection" (2000) 13 Harvard Human
Rights Journal 1--69 with permission © (2000) by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and The
Harvard Human Rights Journal.
Printed on acid-free paper.
ISBN 978-90-04-13903-9 ISBN 978-94-017-5932-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-5932-8
© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2004
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CONTENTS
Dedication .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. ... ... .. ... .. .. ... . vii
Acknowledgments .................................................................................................... ix
Chapter One Introduction ..................................................................................... .
Chapter Two Variations on the Ombudsman Concept .. .. .. .. . .. ... .. .. . ... ... .. .. . .. . ... .. .. 25
Chapter Three The Ombudsman: Democratic Accountability and Good
Governance 55
Chapter Four The Ombudsman: Domestic Protection and Promotion of
International Human Rights .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. ... .. .. .. ... .. ... .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . . 81
Chapter Five The Ombudsman, Good Governance and Human Rights in
Europe .................................................................................................................. 125
Chapter Six The Ombudsman, Good Governance and Human Rights in Latin
America and the Caribbean .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. ... .. .. .. ... .. .. ... .. .. .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .. ... .. .. .. . ... .. ... .. . 171
Chapter Seven The Ombudsman, Good Governance and Human Rights in
Africa, Asia and the Pacific Region .................................................................... 215
Chapter Eight Post-Conflict Peace-Building: Establishment of the Human
Rights Ombudsman .............................................................................................. 253
Chapter Nine The Ombudsman for Children: Human Rights Protection and
Promotion .............................................................................................................. 289
Chapter Ten The Ombudsman in the International Organization System: Small
Steps ...................................................................................................................... 333
Chapter Eleven The European Ombudsman: Good Governance, Human Rights
and the European Union ...................................................................................... 367
Chapter Twelve Conclusion .................................................................................. 393
Index .......................................................................................................................... 413
To Carl Ley, M.D.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My interest in the intersections between the ombudsman and human rights protection
dates back to 1990 when, during a secondment as lawyer to the Office of the Ombuds
man of Alberta, I discovered that human rights issues arose in the work of a classical
ombudsman. The explosion in the number of human rights ombudsman institutions since
that time added another dimension to the theme. As a result, my research and writing
interests increasingly addressed issues relating to the ombudsman and human rights pro
tection, culminating in this book.
I wish to thank the University of Alberta for the financial assistance it provided
through the EFF Support for the Advancement of Schalarship Small Faculties research
grant and travel grant programs which enabled me to undertake and present the foun
dational research leading to this book, and for the award of a McCalla Research Professorship
which provided me with teaching relief for the 2002 to 2003 academic year. I am also
very grateful to the Faculty of Law, University of Alberta for its support, and to the law
librarians at the Weir Law Library who have been of great assistance over the years it
has taken me to complete this book. I have also learned much about the ombudsman
system from my years as Editor of Publications of the International Ombudsman
Institute. I must emphasize, however, that this book is written in my personal capacity
and does not represent in any manner the views of the International Ombudsman
Institute. For the most part I have tried to provide information current to mid-2003.
However, in a few cases some of the information on ombudsman institutionswas avail
able only for 2001 or 2002.
I am very grateful to the ombudsmen who have invited me to visit, conduct research
and talk about my work over the past seven years, and I also wish to thank the staff of
these ombudsman offices. In particular, I would like to thank Mr. Jacob Söderman, for
mer European Ombudsman; the staff of the European Ombudsman office; Dr. Nikiforos
Diamandouros, former Ombudsman of Greece and currently European Ombudsman; the
staff of the Greek Ombudsman office; Mr. Enrique Mugica, Defensor del Pueblo of Spain;
the staff of Spain's Defensoria del Pueblo; Mr. Jose Chamizo, Defensor del Pueblo of
Andalusia, Spain; the staff of the Defensoria del Pueblo of Andalusia; Mr. Anton
Caiiellas, Sindic de Greuges of Catalonia, Spain; the staff in the Sindic's office; Dr. Jorge
Luis Maiorano, former Defensor del Pueblo of Argentina; and the staff of Argentina's
Defensoria del Pueblo. Thanks also go to the ombudsmen and staff of the various inter
national organizations who provided me with documentation on their ombudsman mech
anisms. I greatly appreciate the wonderful hospitality ofthe Faculty ofLaw at the University
of Granada, Spain where I spent my study leave in 2001 engaged in writing this book.
X ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I especially wish to thank Professor Francisco Bossini of the Faculty of Law, University
of Granada for his invaluable collegiality and assistance. Thanks also to Professor Koshi
Yamazaki, Faculty of Law, Niigata University, for our conversation on the national
human rights institution situation in Japan.
I also wish to thank the student assistants who have provided research support over
a number of years, who by now are embarking upon their own academic and profes
sianal careers: Barbara von Tigerstrom, Remegius Chibueze, Emeka Duruigbo and Katherine
Lopez-Ley. I am particularly indebted to Barbara von Tigerstrom, Faculty ofLaw, University
of Canterbury, New Zealand for reading parts of the manuscript and giving me valu
able comments.
1t would not have been possible to complete this book without the love and support
of my family. My parents, Zygmunt and Dorothy Reif, have always been a source of
encouragement. Many thanks to Chris, Ryan, Robin, Cory, Kate and Jaime for all their
interest and support. Finally, I want to express my deep appreciation to my busband
Carl Ley, for bis constant encouragement, patience and good humour during the writ
ing of this book.
Linda C. Reif
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
The Role of the Ombudsman
Over the course of the past century, govemment administration has expanded greatly
and complaints about bureaucratic conduct have grown in parallel. In response, the om
budsman institution has been established by the state in many countries around the
world.1 Although the ombudsman in its contemporary form dates back to the Swedish
ombudsman of 1809, the institution only began to spread outside Scandinavia starting
in the 1960s.2
The ombudsman is a public sector institution, preferably established by the legisla
tive branch of govemment, to supervise the administrative activities of the executive
1 See generally K. Hossain et al., eds., Human Rights Commissions and Ombudsman Offices: National
Experiences throughout the World (The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 2001) [hereinafter Human
Rights Commissions and Ombudsman Offices]; L.C. Reif, "Building Democratic Institutions: The
RoJe of National Human Rights Institutions in Good Governance and Human Rights Protection"
(2000) 13 Harvard H.R.J. 1; V. Ayeni, L. Reif and H. Thomas, eds., Strengthening Ombudsman and
Human Rights Institutions in Commonwealth Small and lsland States - The Caribbean Experience
(London: Commonwealth Secretariat, 2000); R. Gregory and P. Giddings, eds., Righting Wrongs:
The Ombudsman in Six Continents (Amsterdam: lOS Press, 2000) [hereinafter Righting Wrongs];
L.C. Reif, ed., The International Ombudsman Anthology: Selected Writings From The International
Ombudsman Institute (The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1999) [hereinafter International
Ombudsman Anthology]; J.L. Maiorano, El Ombudsman: Defensor del Pueblo y de las lnstituciones
Republicanas, 2d ed., 4 vols. (Buenos Aires: Ediciones Macchi, 1999); L.C. Reif, ed., The
Ombudsman Concept (Edmonton, International Ombudsman Institute, 1995); M.A. Marshall and
L.C. Reif, "The Ombudsman: Maladministration and Alternative Dispute Resolution" (1995) 34
Alberta Law Rev. 215; F. Matscher, ed., Ombudsman in Europe- The Institution (Kehl: N.P. Engel,
1994 ); L. Reif, M. Marshall and C. Ferris, eds., The Ombudsman: Diversity and Development (Edmonton:
International Ombudsman Institute, 1992); D.C. Rowat, The Ombudsman Plan: The Worldwide
Spread of an Idea, 2d rev. ed. (Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1985); G.E. Caiden, ed.,
International Handbook oft he Ombudsman: Evolution and Present Function and International Handbook
of the Ombudsman: Country Surveys, 2 vols. (Westport: Greenwood Press, 1983). Parts of this
Chapter are developed from Reif, "Building Democratic Institutions: The RoJe of National Human
Rights Institutions in Good Governance and Human Rights Protection", ibid. at 5-9, 11-13, 23-30.
2 The word "ombudsman" is used as the generic term and when it is the title of a specific institution.
"Ombudsman" is considered to be gender neutral in contemporary Swedish. While ombudsmän is
the plural form in Swedish, this book uses "ombudsmen". As both women and men hold the office
of ombudsman the pronouns in this book are used to reflect this fact.
