Commissioner Hammarberg to discuss human rights with Bulgarian authorities
12/02/2008
The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, will discuss the human rights situation in Bulgaria with national authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) during a two-day visit to Sofia starting on Thursday 14 February. Discussions will focus on children’s rights, the rights of disabled people and problems related to the judiciary, minorities and anti-discrimination policies.
During the visit, the Commissioner will meet several ministers, the Chairpersons of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination and the State Agency for Child Protection, the Ombudsman and NGO representatives.
The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent, non-judicial institution within the Council of Europe, mandated to promote awareness of, and respect for, human rights in the organisation’s 47 member states. Elected by the Council’s Parliamentary Assembly, the present Commissioner, Thomas Hammarberg, took up his duties on 1 April 2006.
Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Hammarberg spent several decades working on the advancement of human rights in Europe and worldwide. Over the past 25 years, he has published widely on various human rights issues, particularly on children's rights, refugee policy, minority issues, xenophobia, Roma rights as well as international affairs and security.
Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Hammarberg spent several decades working on the advancement of human rights in Europe and worldwide.
