First Deputy Chief of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Kiriyenko addressed the meeting participants. He emphasised the importance of enhancing the public’s legal awareness and developing and consolidating the independence of human rights institutions. He urged ombudsmen to more actively involve socially oriented NGOs in their work.
Mr Kiriyenko noted a significant increase in the amount of presidential grants; 8 billion roubles are being allocated for NPO support in 2018.
In addition, he recalled that Vladimir Putin declared 2018 the Year of the Volunteer. Today, in his opinion, an increasing number of issues require a systematic approach and the need to be proactive.
During the second day of the alignment meeting, the participants discussed the cooperation of ombudsmen with representatives of law-enforcement and human rights government agencies.
The discussion was attended by Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Gorovoi, Senior Aide to the Chairman of the Investigative Committee Igor Komissarov, Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Buksman, Director of the FederalService of Court Bailiffs Dmitry Aristov, Deputy Director of the Federal Penitentiary Service Anatoly Rudy, and Chairman of the Court Staff on Family Affairs and the Protection of Children’s Rights of the Supreme Court’s Judicial Division for Civil Cases Alexander Klikushin.
Children’s ombudsmen from various regions raised the most important and urgent issues on the protection of civil rights and the security of citizens, quoted specific examples of violations of the rights of minors or families with children and determined the most efficient legal mechanisms for resolving problems in human rights activities.