On 18 and 19 April, 2017, the Public Defender's Office was visited by members of the International Advisory Board: Maina Kiai - United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Eva Pastrana - coordinator of the Council of Europe program "HELP in 28", Aage Borchgrevink - Helsinki Committee Advisor, and Jorgen Johansen - conflict and cooperation expert.

The Public Defender and members of the Public Defender's Office briefly reviewed last year's efforts and the implementation of the recommendations developed by the Advisory Board for the Public Defender in 2016. They also provided information about the main trends in the area of human rights and fundamental freedoms in 2016 and spoke about the structural changes carried out at the Public Defender’s Office as a result of the expansion of the Public Defender’s mandate.

Following the meetings and consultations, the Public Defender and the Public Defender's International Advisory Board held a press conference on April 19.

At the press conference the UN Special Rapporteur stressed the importance of the Public Defender’s recommendations, spoke about his efforts and noted that the fact that the Public Defender's Office had been criticized by some officials or agencies was a direct indicator of the good performance of the Office. Maina Kiai again asked the Government to ensure proper work environment and provide a new building for the Public Defender's Office.

Eva Pastrana, one of the members of the International Advisory Board, spoke about the Public Defender’s role, the importance of his increased mandate and the educational activities of the Public Defender.

The recommendations developed by the International Advisory Board will be published in the near future.

Creation of the Advisory Council was part of the Public Defender's strategic action plan of 2013. The aim of the Council is to help the Public Defender to define/implement human rights priorities/prospects.