High Commission for the Protection of Rights, Liberties and for Mediation celebrates 10th anniversary
The Sovereign and many of the Principality's leading figures were present - © Communication Department/ Manuel Vitali
An ideal occasion to remind ourselves of the important role played by this independent body.
On Tuesday 23 January, the High Commissioner for the Protection of Rights, Liberties and for Mediation celebrated its tenth anniversary at the Sea Club, with Prince Albert II and a number of leading figures from the Principality in attendance, including the Minister of State, Pierre Dartout, and the President of the National Council, Brigitte Boccone-Pagès.
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The commission, created by Sovereign Order on 30 October 2013, is a public and independent institutional mediation body.
“The role of the High Commission is first and foremost to enable all citizens to ensure their rights are protected when they have difficulties with the administration and authorities,” High Commissioner Marina Ceyssac explained on Monaco Info. “But this role also extends to anyone who feels they have been discriminated against, whether by a public authority or a private individual. They can then turn to us for mediation. We also have an advisory role in the legislative process: we may be consulted by the National Council or the Government to give our opinion on draft legislation affecting fundamental rights and freedoms.”
“Our recommendations, even older ones, can still be read and used today”
However the role of the High Commission extends beyond the Principality’s borders. The organisation took part in the annual conference of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) last October. “We also co-organised a round table with the ECRI in the Principality in April 2023, and Mr Patrice Davost, ECRI member for the Principality, attended our anniversary and presented the ECRI’s role and the way in which the Commission interacts with Monaco, to those taking part in the celebrations,” added Marina Ceyssac.
Marina Ceyssac, who took up her post two years ago following the departure of Anne Eastwood, who was appointed Monaco’s Ambassador to Italy, was delighted with the results of the High Commission’s ten years of activity: “we have handled 800 individual referrals, made 40 recommendations, issued 30 legislative opinions… I think that’s a significant volume for an organisation such as ours! We have also given recommendations in areas that are topical today: our recommendations, even older ones, can still be read and used today. What struck me was the diversity of our applicants, our partners, and our participation in the much wider network of ombudsmen and human rights defenders in general.”
Marina Ceyssac now hopes to see the remit of the High Commission for the Protection of Rights, Freedoms and for Mediation broaden a little, so as to intensify its activities in the Principality, while complying with international standards, in order to become a veritable national institution for the defence of human rights in they eyes of the United Nations.