Africa-Press – Angola. The Ombudsman of Justice of Angola, Florbela Araújo, considered, yesterday, in Moçâmedes, that the approach of the policy of proximity to the citizens, in recent times, allowed the monitoring of approximately 4,500 complaints with an impact on the right to surface (parcels of land) , delays in payments to pensioners and the situation of prisoners in prisons.
Florbela Araújo, who is on a working visit to the province of Namibe, as part of the Provider’s Week, in the company of her counterpart from Zambia, Corolane Sokoni, made these considerations during a lecture given to the academic community, traditional, ecclesiastical and various authorities entities of the province of Namibe, on the role of the ombudsman as defender of the fundamental rights of citizens.
The visit to Namibe is part of the National Week program and celebration of the 18th anniversary of the election of the first ombudsman in Angola, opened on the 19th of this month, in the country’s capital, under the motto “The role of the ombudsman Justice in defense of the rights of citizens in vulnerable situations.” The event is allowing the exchange and exchange of experience between Angola and Zambia.
With a focus on youth from various social strata, the Ombudsman of Angola, Florbela Araújo, clarified, during the approach, that the focus of the institution and the designated provincial representatives is to resolve the main concerns of citizens who resort to Ombudsman services when they feel unprotected.
The Angolan leader, who also serves as regional director for Africa, explained that the figure of the ombudsman is subject to the constitutional duty of ensuring protection, guaranteeing compliance with the Human Rights contained in the Universal Declaration, supervising public institutions and carrying out violation prevention work through lectures, workshops and awareness-raising content through the media.
“We all need to know that nothing and no one is above the guarantees and fundamental freedoms of citizens. The task at the moment is to clarify the work performed by an Ombudsman and the importance he has in the lives of citizens”, he underlined.
“Citizens’ rights must be respected regardless of their social position, class or position. Therefore, everyone is called upon to denounce acts of violation”, he reinforced.
On the occasion, the ombudsman of the Republic of Zambia, Corolane Sokoni, was satisfied with the expansion dynamics of the provincial services of the Ombudsman, non-existent in her country, which, according to her, constitutes an example of organization and one of the best servants in terms of protecting the guarantees of the fundamental freedoms of citizens in Africa.
Coroline Sokoni, who is Treasurer of the International Institute of Ombudsmen, said that she will take Angola’s experience as a reference in the international promotion of Human Rights, due to the level of performance of the country’s provincial services.
“It is the recommendation that Angola and Zambia should work together, not only in expanding the functions of the defender of the fundamental rights of the citizen, but also cooperating in the field of Education and Health”, he informed.
She added that among the visits made to some institutions in the province of Namibe, she was delighted with the functioning of the local University, highlighting the Faculty of Marine Sciences as one of the great bets on training for young people in the country at the level of Africa, which it intends to take as an implementation proposal for Zambia.
The provincial deputy governor for the Political, Economic and Social Sector, Anica de Sousa, considered that sharing the experience of the two African countries encourages the provincial government to support the actions of the provincial ombudsman in municipalities, communes and localities, whose activities have been carried out since June 2022, the period of installation of this representation in the province, and which is developing various activities to defend the rights, guarantees and fundamental freedoms of citizens.
The leader encouraged the institution to continue with the challenges of valuing and respecting the rights of citizens who, through informal means, manage to ensure justice and the legality of Public Administration activities.
“The Angolan Executive promotes and defends the fundamental rights of man, whether as an individual or in organized social groups. violation is liable to liability,” he said.
In Angola, the Ombudsman is assured in 10 provinces, with representation in Cuando Cubango, Cuanza-Sul, Bengo, Malanje, Namibe, Cabinda, Benguela, Huambo, Lunda-Norte and Cunene.
Florbela Araújo wants a solution for cases of land expropriation
The Ombudsman, Florbela Rocha Araújo, appealed, yesterday, in Moçâmedes, to the government officials to find a solution for the problems related to conflicts resulting from the expropriation of land, both for the construction of residences, as well as other social infrastructures.
The appeal was made by the minister at the end of her visit to the University of Namibe, stressing that every Angolan citizen has the right to land, as when it is occupied, the State must compensate those who built it.
This compensation, according to the provider, must be fair so that no one is harmed, thus avoiding problems between the parties involved.
He said that his visit to Namibe comes within the scope of the Ombudsman’s program with his counterpart from Zambia, in order to strengthen ties of cooperation and share experiences.
He stated that the Zambian ombudsman came in search of experiences, especially in the province of Namibe, where the Justice ombudsman has played a dynamic role in the search for solutions to citizens’ problems.
“Still in the field of the visit, the ombudsman of Justice of Zambia showed interest in visiting the University of Namibe, to verify its functioning, the quality of the laboratories of marine resources”, he expressed.
It is on this path, according to the official, that the Zambians expressed interest in sending staff to Namibe, in order to obtain training in navigation and marine resources, while Angola plans to send students to courses on Human Rights in Zambia.
He also stated that the Ombudsman, in addition to receiving complaints and resolving citizens’ rights, also has work focused on prevention, and in 2022, at country level, he received more than four thousand five hundred complaints.
He admitted that with the evolution and mastery of information technologies, the number of complaints that arrive tends to increase, so that the Ombudsman needs to equip itself with the means to develop a faster and more dignified work, replacing the current methods that make use of letters, phone calls and email.
In Namibe, the Justice Ombudsman’s delegation held a meeting with the students, in which they addressed the topic “the role of the Ombudsman as a defender of the fundamental rights of citizens in Angola and Zambia.
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