A/HRC/38/30 September 2017, two members of the Interministerial Committee 3 attended a one-week “train the trainer” workshop organized by OHCHR. In February 2018, OHCHR delivered a workshop in Port-au-Prince, to build the capacity of the members of the Interministerial Committee to ensure efficient drafting of reports and follow-up on the implementation of the recommendations. B. National human rights institution 12. The 1987 Haitian Constitution established the Office of the Ombudsperson as an independent national human rights institution with a mandate to protect individuals against abuses by the Government. In 2012, the Parliament adopted the Law on the Organization and Functioning of the Ombudsperson, which further developed the framework of the Office of the Ombudsperson as a national human rights institution in accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles). 4 The Office of the Ombudspersons is competent to receive and follow up on individual complaints, investigate allegations of human rights violations committed by public entities and ensure respect for the rights of detainees, including by the Haitian National Police. 13. The Office of the Ombudsperson has representatives in all 10 departments of the country. Among the wide range of complaints it receives, many pertain to prolonged pretrial detention and it follows some of these cases directly with prosecutors. The Office of the Ombudsperson has also worked to increase awareness of sexual and gender-based violence, denouncing the issue publicly and advocating for accountability in emblematic cases. 14. A significant part of the work of the human rights component of the Stabilization Mission, the Mission for Justice Support and OHCHR has been to strengthen the capacity of the Office of the Ombudsperson so that it becomes a sustainable pillar of a national human rights protection framework. In September 2017, the human rights component of the Mission for Justice Support organized a training session for members of the Office of the Ombudsperson and the Department of Prison Administration, which is responsible for the management of prisons, on human rights law and systems. In late 2017, the human rights component secured funding from the Joint United Nations Rule of Law Programme to enable the Office of the Ombudsperson to open offices in Jeremie and Saint-Marc. For 2018, the human rights component of the Mission for Justice Support is planning to provide the Office of the Ombudsperson with technical support for the development of its strategic action plan. In March 2018, the Mission for Justice Support agreed to communicate to the Office of the Ombudsperson cases of human rights violations it documents and to coach its officers in monitoring and investigating human rights violations; the Office of the Ombudsperson agreed to share with the Mission for Justice Support its monthly briefings on prolonged pretrial detention and access to justice. 15. Despite the achievements of the Office of the Ombudsperson in recent years, it continues to face challenges. President Moïse appointed a new Protecteur in October 2017, over a year after the expiration of the term of the previous incumbent who, as foreseen in the Law on the Organization and Functioning of the Ombudsperson, continued exercising her functions until then. In line with the applicable procedure, the President of Haiti appoints the Ombudsperson from a list of candidates submitted by the two houses of Parliament. Haitian human rights and women’s civil society organizations expressed serious concerns over the independence and integrity of the appointee, with some viewing the appointment as political. The controversy surrounding the appointment was further fuelled by the failure to consult national civil society actors. 3 4 The two participants were the coordinator of the Interministerial Committee at the Office of the Prime Minister and the focal point of the Committee at the Ministry of Gender and Women’s Rights. The Paris Principles were adopted in 1993 by the General Assembly. They provide the international benchmarks for the establishment and functioning of national human rights institutions against which such institutions can be accredited by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions. 5