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found in the Paris Principles and relate primarily to the legal framework
establishing the institution. These principles are not dependent on
whether there is a single or multiple human rights institutions. The
latter of course is the case in Turkey which has multiple institutions.
However some principles or attributes are intimately connected
with the choice of the institutional modal such as public legitimacy,
accessibility, openness, diversity and the importance of relations with
the civil society, trust, credibility, leadership, compliance, monitoring
and working systematically on human rights abuses.
Distinguished guests, in the case of Turkey even though the country
has a separate national human rights institute the ombudsman
institution takes the position that they can also handle human rights
matters and practice. At this point given that Turkey is creating
several new institutions on human rights over a short period of time
attention should be placed on how to make this new system more
effective avoiding a duplication of mandates. As an agent of change
the United Nations Development Program seeks to place human
beings and human rights at the center of its work as part of its human
development approach and paradigm. In that sense and in light of
the standards enumerated in international instruments and the
Paris Principles we seek to strengthen the independence of national
institutions and increase their capacity to act as national human rights
protection mechanisms. It is not surprising therefore that the UNDP 3 rd INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTIONS
has a strong commitment to the reform process in this critical area.
Allow me to conclude by thanking all of you present here today as
well as those who were committed to this cause but could not join
us for your combined efforts in addressing Turkey’s human rights
challenges. I would also like to express my appreciation to the
ombudsman institution and the Chief Ombudsman in Turkey for his
commitment to the human rights discourse Turkey and the success
that the ombudsman institution has achieved within a very limited
time frame since its establishment. Thank you.

PRESENTER- Mr. Malhotra, thank you for your contributions,
Distinguished guests,
Now, I would like to give the floor to his Excellency, Mr. Lars Wahlund,
Ambassador of Sweden. Please.

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