Cuban Ombudsman’s Office exchanges experiences with European counterparts

Eight representatives of the central Ombudsman’s Office, including its director, Alejandro Redondo Ramos, the Provincial Directorates of Justice and the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited eleven national and supranational institutions in Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium, thanks to the EU-CCF European programme. The objective was to promote the exchange of experiences on the treatment of issues related to the protection, guarantee and restoration of the exercise of the population’s rights.

Thanks to these spaces for knowledge and exchange of impressions between Cuban and European counterpart and related entities, good practices have been identified and new spaces for collaboration and joint work have been opened up. Specifically, it has been agreed to exchange best procedures, as well as methodological and theoretical documents to ensure their correct functioning. Through this joint effort, the aim is not only to strengthen the capacities of the institutions involved, but also to promote best practices and enrich the framework of work on justice and human rights issues.

Cuban Ombudsman’s Office

The recently created Ombudsman of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Cuba has 580 defenders in the country and has dealt with 446 cases in the last year. It is an autonomous and independent control body of the government, which does not receive instructions from any State authority. It is a structure dependent on the Ministry of Justice whose mission is to protect, guarantee and restore the exercise of the rights of children and adolescents, persons with disabilities, the elderly, victims of discrimination or violence in any of its manifestations and other persons who may find themselves in a situation of socio-legal vulnerability.

The Ombudsman’s Office is determined to continue improving its structure in order to provide a better service, in accordance with what the Cuban population deserves, according to its director.