On December 1, 2023, the conference “Human Rights in Croatia” was held in Zagreb, marking the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The conference was jointly organized by the Ombudswoman, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in charge with the area of human rights and the Human Rights House Zagreb, at the premises of the National and University Library.

Anja Šimpraga, Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Human Rights Council of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, opened the event, emphasizing that the Republic of Croatia has built institutions that protect and promote human rights, as well as provide legal protection to all of its citizens. In her opening remarks Ombudswoman Tena Šimonović Einwalter cited strong independent institutions and human rights education as key prerequisites for the protection of human rights, and Ivan Novosel, Program Director of the Human Rights House, underscored the importance of quality public policies in the field of human rights and cooperation with civil society organizations in their implementation. The participants were also addressed by Dražen Bošnjaković, envoy of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament and chairman of the Committee on the Constitution, Rules of Procedure and Political System.

The panel “The System of Protection of Human Rights in Croatia” gathered Milorad Pupovac, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and the Rights of National Minorities, Tena Šimonović Einwalter, Snježana Bagić, judge of the Constitutional Court, Klaudija Kregar Orešković, deputy director of the Government Office for Human Rights and the Rights of National Minorities, Ivan Novosel and Eva Esther Sobotka from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights in a discussion on the impact of international human rights instruments on the development of the system of protection of human rights in Croatia, the role of various stakeholders in human rights protection system, as well as the key public policies in the field of human rights. The importance of the Constitutional Court, but also of the European Court of Human Rights, civil society and independent institutions for the protection and promotion of human rights was emphasized.

The second panel “Protection of the Rights of the Older Persons” featured a discussion on older persons as one of the most numerous and at the same time most vulnerable social groups. The participants, Silvano Hrelja, Member of the Croatian Parliament, Anica Ježić, Head of the Sector for Development and Improvement of Social Services of the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, Tatjana Vlašić, Deputy Ombudswoman, and Štefica Salaj, Deputy President of the Croatian Pensioners’ Union, stressed the fact that older persons are at an increased risk of poverty and that it is necessary to strengthen the mechanisms for the protection of their rights and to facilitate their inclusion in the community.

The conference brought together representatives of public administration bodies, ombudsman institutions, civil society organizations and representatives of the diplomatic corps.

December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the event that represented a turning point in the understanding of human rights as we know them today and in the commitment of the international community to their protection. The day the Declaration was adopted is celebrated on December 10 as International Human Rights Day.