Croatian Ombudswoman Lora Vidović in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Croatia and the Croatian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, organized a Conference on human rights in Morocco, on 3 May 2018. The conference included participation of Chairman of the Moroccan National Human Rights Council Driss El Yazami and was focused on the role of human rights in the democratic development.

In her opening speech, Ombudswoman Vidović gave an overview of our institution, its roles and mandates as well as its growth over the past 26 years. She especially noted the importance of safeguarding the independence of national human rights institutions in building democratic societies. Ms Vidović also presented the current human rights situation in Croatia and activities our institution undertakes to foster positive change, including in strengthening the rule of law and maintaining partnerships with all relevant stakeholders.

In addition to the Conference, the cooperation between Croatian Ombudswoman and Moroccan National Human Rights Council recently included the work of the National Preventive Mechanisms. Namely, we hosted the representatives of the Moroccan NPM during their study visit to Croatia. Joint visits were organized to the Prison and police station in Split, aimed at collecting good practices in terms of visit methodology and models of cooperation with state authorities. Our practice will be used by Moroccan NPM in preparation for its establishment and start of work, as mandated by the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture.