Luanda – Angola's Ombudswoman, Florbela Araújo, held Monday in Luanda Province a working meeting with the Regional Ombudsman of Flanders, Kingdom of Belgium, Erwin Janssens, having addressed common interest issues.
The meeting allowed the sharing of experiences between the two counterpart institutions, which work in the defence of rights, freedoms and guarantees of citizens, said the Ombuds Office of Angola in a statement.
During the meeting, Erwin Janssens presented an insight into the structure and operation of the institution he leads, as well as the main complaints received in the exercise of the activity.
Florbela Araújo highlighted the cooperation and partnership that Angola´s Ombuds Office has with other counterparts such as those in Zambia, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, and Portugal, in addition to international organizations.
Regarding the number of complaints received, the Ombudsman of the Flanders Region, said that annually the institution received more than 10,000 cases, taking into account access to information technology.
The Angolan Ombuds Office also shared experience related to the decentralization of its services in the other provinces and the right to intervene on its own initiative.
The Belgium Kingdom has five Sectoral Ombudspersons, being two regional, two federal, and one for the Wallonia Region, Brussels.
At the end of the meeting, the officials were satisfied with the work done and they visited the areas that comprise the Regional Ombudsman of Flanders of the Kingdom of Belgium.
For Tuesday, meetings are scheduled with the Federal Ombuds of the Kingdom of Belgium, of the Flemish, the Brussels and of the Wallonia Region, Brussels, as well as with the Chairman of the Belgian Ombuds Network.
Other meetings with the President of the Regional Constitutional Courts of the Kingdom of Belgium and Consultation meetings with the Angolan Community living in Belgium are also on schedule. AL/MRA/jmc
