People's Advocate Office - National Human Rights Institution in the Republic of Moldova
The People’s Advocate Office (PAO) is the National Human Rights Institution of the Republic of Moldova, similar to European and international ombudsman institutions, operating under Law No. 52 of April 3, 2014, on the People’s Advocate (Ombudsman). Established as an independent public authority, the institution has the mission of contributing to the guarantee of respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms by public authorities and other entities, preventing their violation, helping to restore the rights of affected persons, improving legislation, and providing legal education to citizens.
The People’s Advocate Office is the institutional successor of the Center for Human Rights of Moldova, which operated from 1998 under Law no. 1349-XIII of October 17, 1997, on parliamentary advocates. The Center for Human Rights was an important non-judicial mechanism for the protection of human rights and consisted of four parliamentary advocates with equal status, one of whom specialized in the area of child rights protection. Their activity was supported by specialized staff and the institution’s territorial representations.
The first territorial representations of the Center for Human Rights were opened in 2001 in Balti, Cahul, and Comrat, pursuant to a decision of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. In 2012, a new office was inaugurated in the village of Varnita, Anenii Noi district, thereby strengthening the population’s access to human rights protection mechanisms.
An important moment in the institution’s development was the ratification by the Republic of Moldova of the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which entered into force for the Republic of Moldova on July 24, 2006. In this context, the Institution of Parliamentary Advocates was designated to exercise the functions of the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture. To support its work in this area, an advisory council was established that participates in monitoring places of detention and other spaces where persons deprived of liberty may be held.
On March 20, 2008, through amendments made to the Law on Parliamentary Advocates, the mandate of the Parliamentary Advocate for the protection of child’s rights was instituted, thereby strengthening the national mechanisms for the defense and promotion of children’s rights.
Between November 16 and 18, 2009, the Accreditation Subcommittee of the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions, meeting in Geneva, accredited the Center for Human Rights of Moldova with “B” status, confirming the institution’s role and contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights and representing important international recognition of its work.
In 2014, with the adoption of Law No. 52 on the People’s Advocate (Ombudsman), the Center for Human Rights was reorganized into the People’s Advocate Office. The reform aimed to align the institution with international and European standards on national human rights institutions and to strengthen the Ombudsman’s role in the Republic of Moldova. The transformation reflected not only a change of name and legal framework, but also a commitment to a new institutional approach focused on efficiency, accessibility, and increased public trust in human rights protection mechanisms.
The institution of the Ombudsman has a history of more than two centuries, its first modern form having been enshrined in the Swedish Constitution of 1809. The term “ombudsman,” of Swedish origin, designates an independent and impartial person empowered to defend the rights and interests of citizens in relation to public authorities. Today, similar institutions operate in numerous countries around the world under various names, such as mediator, people’s defender, parliamentary commissioner, or protector of the citizen — all sharing the same principal mission: overseeing respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms and promoting responsible and fair public administration.
At present, the People’s Advocate Office is a member of the International Ombudsman Institute, the European Ombudsman Institute, and the Association of Ombudsmen and Mediators of La Francofonie. Through its work, the Office contributes to strengthening democracy, the rule of law, and a culture of human rights in the Republic of Moldova, acting as a balancing factor between citizens and public authorities.
