Covid-19 have had an overwhelming impact on both the functioning of the states and daily lives of people. Governmental responses have consisted of a variety of exceptional legal, organizational, and practical measures to fight Covid-19, with a huge impact on the lives, well-being and rights of not only citizens at large, but also of armed forces personnel who were tasked with important functions in addressing the pandemic.
12ICOAF will be devoted to assessing the impact of Covid-19 on not only ombuds institutions, but also on society, and the armed forces. In the majority of countries, armed forces have been called upon to assist civilian authorities in tackling this public health emergency, exposing them to new and often unusual tasks in a fast-changing environment, but also a higher risk of infection.
Facing this trend, ombuds institutions need to reflect on their practices and adapt their work to guarantee the protection of the rights of armed forces personnel during and after Covid-19, as well as the rights of citizens impacted by the activities of the armed forces. Thus, this year’s conference will examine ways in which ombuds institutions can respond to the challenges posed by Covid-19.
Participants will have an opportunity to compare notes and identify good practices related to how Covid-19 has influenced complaints, both in terms of their dynamics and handling procedures. Special attention will be given to working methods, from interviews, correspondence (oral and written), as well as other information gathered formally or informally. Responding to the continuing interest of ICOAF participants in different dimensions of fieldwork, 12ICOAF will devote a separate session to in-country and overseas field visits.
Finally, 12ICOAF will also consider important changes in the organizational and logistical aspects of ombuds institutions’ work, in terms of office hours, remote work, video conferencing, different ways of communicating with complainants, and similar.