I am pleased to address this ninth meeting of the Association of the Mediterranean Ombudsmen, which is once again being held in Malta. It is a pleasure to see so many representatives from so many countries in the Mediterranean region, and let me begin by wishing each of you every success in making this an effective arena for discussion and sharing.
The role of the ombudsmen is becoming more vital and more necessary in the complex communities that exist within the Mediterranean. It is a role that requires both autonomy and flexibility, calling for creative solutions and courageous action.
Above all, an ombudsman’s focus must be on the protection of core values. Echoing the Paris Principles, these values consist of equity and accountability; of sustainable development; the safeguarding of human rights; and the continued protection of vulnerable groups.
By valorising the place of ombudsmen within our democratic systems, we send a clear message about the need to preserve and to promote social, political, and economic values within society.
Let us recall the words of academics Roy Gregory and Peter Hutchesson, who affirm that the role of the ombudsman comes in response to the major dilemmas of contemporary life; namely that, within modern states, “democratic action is possible only through the instrumentality of a bureaucratic organization. But bureaucratic power—if it is not properly controlled—is itself destructive of democracy and its values”.
How, then, are we to reflect these values within the context of the multilayered relationships that exist and take shape in our societies? The relationships between citizens and service providers, between members of minority groups and those who belong to a powerful majority, are often asymmetrical.
The ombudsman is therefore tasked with upholding basic dignities where they are most at risk, and ensuring that balance is achieved within power relationships that can, all too often, result in abuse.
In this capacity, the ombudsman gives voice to something far more fundamental than the regulation of bureaucratic power. The ombudsman stands to safeguard wellbeing, as an agent of peace in the midst of potential oppression and conflict.
We must be mindful that an essential component of the ombudsman’s function is to address and transform conflict. The ombudsman presents a path away from violence, direct or covert, and towards the possibility of harmonious resolution.
It is clear that, at this difficult point in our history, the need for such efforts is particularly pressing within our Mediterranean.
The task of conflict transformation, as practiced by the ombudsman, evolves from the most ancient pursuit of justice. It is a continually developing endeavour that engages both the public, who call upon the good offices of the ombudsman for assistance, and governing powers, which may be obliged to submit to external scrutiny.
When we agree that the ombudsman’s role is rooted in a concern for the dignity of each individual, then we must acknowledge the need for a concurrent focus on those imbalances of power that permeate our communities and institutions, frequently embedded within the deepest structures of society.
It is sometimes ombudsmen themselves, in the pursuit of their work, who must act as a catalyst for the exploration of systemic difficulties that would otherwise go ignored or unchallenged.
The ombudsman stands in the centre of such processes, at once a neutral intermediary and an uncompromising voice for fairness and equity. The ombudsman functions within this difficult space, sensitive to the fact that an imbalance of power is often a crucial factor.
How is one to address this imbalance and its attendant inequalities, within which it is the individual who is usually at most risk?
To build effective responses, we must remain conscious of the wholeness of the human person, while also maintaining an intersectional awareness of those particularities of gender, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status and cultural heritage that form our individual experiences of the world.
It is the ombudsman’s duty to take the positive values at the heart of our society and ensure that they inform each and every mediated interaction, inspired by non-coercive strategies of conflict resolution. We must take seriously the great threats to peace and development occurring around the world, particularly within our Mediterranean region, while also acknowledging the insight that empowered citizens will bring to our discourse.
Above all else, we need citizens who are able to take responsibility, and who are capable of more fully participating in governance.
Therefore, a key goal must be education. It is through education that an ombudsman contributes most decisively to the empowerment of complainants, securing their participation.
It is through education that an ombudsman assists in fostering a civil society that is informed about its rights, is confident in exercising them, and is capable of sharing them within ever widening circles of community and connection.
Your work includes teaching opportunities with individuals, where policies are explained and cultural diversity is explored, and also opportunities to help parties better understand all facets of a dispute, appreciating its implications and complexities. These are the fundamental tools we require if citizens are to incorporate conflict resolution techniques within their own lives and communities, for the benefit of society as a whole.
As potential educators, it should be clear that an ombudsman’s goals cannot merely be the short-term resolution of conflict. Rather, our goals must be for a steady, progressive transformation, a long term journey towards a society that is capable of maturely confronting and dealing with conflict.
We must come together to work towards societies that are educated in their rights, in processes of conflict resolution, and capable of demanding that each citizen be treated with the dignity that is rightfully theirs.
Ultimately, the ombudsman’s goal is to tirelessly uphold the wellbeing of the individual, sustained in cultures of peace.
Through your efforts at securing the wellbeing of all citizens, you are re-establishing, or sometimes creating for the first time, healthier and equitable relationships.
However, this does not only protect individuals. It opens up a space in which administrations and institutions have the opportunity to reflect on their exercise of power, and to come, through self-examination, to recognise the need for meaningful improvement and change.
Let me conclude by calling for us all to consider, within our various roles, the paramount importance of trust. The credibility of a process and the integrity of the individual and the team who implements that process are both essential components in the development of trust, and in securing a flourishing engagement between citizens and institutions. Your work must be filled with a sense of conviction, inspiring others with confidence, and encouraging them to recognise the strength of our values.
Your work must find its greatest fulfilment in the promotion of those values rooted in Human Rights. Beyond your particular focus on different democratic values, we are all united in the promotion of underlying fundamental rights. These basic truths, held in common, link our work across sectors, and across national borders.
Let the drive towards the full empowerment of citizens continue to inspire your efforts as ombudsmen. Let the committed participation of individuals and communities, and their ability to inform and strengthen processes of governance, be a clear goal in your endeavours.
By your example, may you embody and teach effective strategies of conflict transformation, which are applicable at all levels.
May you always be worthy of the trust placed in you, by resisting those voices that would see our core values sacrificed in the pursuit of expediency. Rather, let us always and in all ways commit to the pursuit of wellbeing.
I am sure that you shall make use of the opportunities offered by this conference, to consider new strategies for making your own contributions towards these goals, and above all, to the realisation of a sustainable peace among the communities and the nations of our Mediterranean.
Thank you.