Third-party information provided that the DPV did not submit annual reports to the National Assembly from 2017 to 2019. Furthermore, they add that the UN Human Rights Council Fact- Finding Mission observed that the annual reports published in 2016, 2020 and 2021 do not include “information on the complaints received by the Ombudsman, including the total number of complaints, the specific human rights violations related to said complaints, or the gender of the victims”.

In its response, the DPV informed that the 2016-2020 National Assembly never called on the NHRI to present annual or special reports, but that this does not mean that the DPV did not prepare them. While acknowledging that the DPV´s annual reports before 2016 and from 2020 to 2024 can be found on the institution’s website, annual reports from 2016 to 2019 are not available. The SCA notes that no debates on the DPV’s annual and thematic reports took place at the National Assembly.

The SCA considers that it is important for an NHRI to prepare, publicize and widely distribute an annual report on the human rights situation in general, and on more specific matters. This report should include an account of the activities undertaken by the NHRI, to state its opinion, recommendations and proposals to address any human rights issue of concern.

The SCA considers it important that the enabling law of an NHRI establish a process whereby its reports are required to be widely circulated, discussed and considered by the legislature.

The SCA refers to Paris Principle A.3(a) and to its General Observation 1.11 on ‘Annual reports of NHRIs’.