Andorra la VellaThe citizen’s advocate, Xavier Cañada, has been appointed coordinator for Europe of the ‘Migrant and Trafficking Network’ of the Ibero-American Federation of the Ombudsman (FIO).
Thus, Cañada will coordinate the tasks carried out by the network of defenders in Portugal and Spain (including most of the ombudsmen of the Spanish autonomous communities) in matters of migrants and human trafficking. The so-called ‘Network of migrants and human traffickers’ of the FIO has as its main objective the development of investigations or reports that make visible the lives of migrants, people in situations of human trafficking and their needs comprehensive care and protection of your life, integrity as well as your personal freedom.
Cañada is grateful for this appointment for two reasons. On the one hand, “to trust in my ability and motivation regarding the protection of fundamental rights of migrated people and thus be able to coordinate these tasks internationally with Spain and Portugal to fight against the cycle of human trafficking and the phenomenon of migration , but also for the explicit recognition of the international representation that Andorra and a public institution of the country such as the citizen’s reasoner can develop within the FIO”.
Among the tasks of the ombudsman’s offices in this matter, the interviews and technical investigations necessary to collect the necessary information in collaboration with the civil society organizations working on the ground, issuing recommendations to public institutions for in order to create, improve or implement the necessary actions for a better protection of migrants, among others.
The Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsman (FIO) is an international organization that includes more than 75 ombudsmen, prosecutors and presidents of human rights commissions from 20 Ibero-American countries. The institution of the Citizen’s Reasoner has been part of the FIO since 1999.