Office of the Ombudswoman hosted the ENNHRI Working Group on Asylum and Migration meeting on 25 – 26 April 2019.

Focus of the WG meeting first day, chaired by Deputy Ombudswoman Maja Kević, was on strengthening the capacity for monitoring and communicating human rights in the area of asylum and migration. In which ways ensure that the message be heard in the noisy world of communications; the theme thoroughly elaborated by the Fundamental Rights Agency in „10 keys to effectively communicating human rights“ and presented by their representative Nicole Romain. Due to the challenging context of monitoring and communicating human rights in the area of asylum and migration a contribution of independent experts and mutual cooperation among NHRIs is especially important. Participants have agreed that the FRA key guidelines, like sending positive messages, common values and individual stories of persons seeking security in Europe, are major elements of practical tools for successful communicating themes related to migrants.

Representative of the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Christian Mommers, presented the Office activities and practical mechanisms of HNRI’s participation while the Chair of the UN Committee for the Rights of the Child, the judge Renate Winter, spoke about the rights of the child on the move. Representative of the Centre for Peace Studies, (CMS) Tea Vidović, showed the best practices related to the communicating human rights of refugees and migrants.

Next day, the WG members, exchanged recent information of their practice, events on European and global level as well as agreed upon their priorities in the future period.