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mandate is strong, but perhaps the way of working it was not what
was required from a national human rights institution. Ombudsman
is of course is dealing with complaints I already mentioned 5,000 plus
every year. They have increasing amounts of own initiatives which is
a very interesting way of dealing with broader issues and often these
initiatives come from the media or from inspections, they have an
inspection and they see something and they decide that it requires
a broader inspection and becomes own initiative. The ombudsman is
also frequently consulted by the government on legislative issues on
different working groups, we both do that.

One very important feature is that the compliance rate in Finland is
very high. The ombudsman recommendations are complied with
probably around 90%. They are repetitive problems that would
require structural changes or financial resources that tend to become
yearly problems and are not resolved. But overall very high rate of
compliance, the authorities do not always like the recommendations
they are even unhappy about the compliances.
Another important feature I would like to mention is the absolute right
to information. The ombudsman has access to any kind of information
that the government has. The human rights center doesn’t have it
neither doesn’t need it because we do not really do that kind of
investigations or case work. Our work is at the more policy level, more
general level. We also get information but not confidential type so for
example when the CIA flights were being investigated whether they
had been stopping in Helsinki airport, the ombudsman got every
possible security apparatus for a ministry turning their information
whatever there was to the ombudsman. So, this is another feature and
it works. They do get access to information without any delays.
The ombudsman reports to parliament and I do not think there is
6-7 hours of discussion maybe it is not in our culture but there is an
opportunity for the members of the parliament to ask questions and
make the observations and they do. This is when there is some type of
criticism of the ombudsman work because of course some functions
see that they are even too much into fundamental and human rights
so I think it is a positive sign that they are being criticized for being so
diligent.

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