Preface
The international version of the 2014 annual report of the Austrian
Ombudsman Board (AOB) for the first time includes both, the AOB’s expost investigative proceedings relevant to human rights as well as the AOB’s
mandate as the Austrian National Preventive Mechanism (NPM).
Chapter I of this report provides general information on the structure of the
AOB, its public relations work and international activities, as well as a brief
summary of each member on the accomplishments and key areas for the
reporting period.
Chapter II presents the key figures for 2014 and outlines the performance
records and most important results of the AOB’s traditional role of expost control of public administration. This part of the report focuses on
fundamental rights cases of the AOB’s ex-post control and illustrates
structural weaknesses by examples. The number of citizens approaching the
AOB with their concerns and complaints once again increased significantly
compared to the previous year.
Chapter III equals the annual report on the activities of the National
Preventive Mechanism (NPM), which is delivered to the UN-Subcommittee
on Prevention of Torture on a yearly basis. This very broad mandate as
National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) according to the OPCAT includes
a mandate as independent monitoring authority according to Article 16.3
of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as
well as a mandate to monitor and concomitantly examine the behavior of
organs authorized to carry out coercive measures. In its preventive work,
the AOB focuses on finding ways to make progress towards lasting, highlevel solutions. In this area, perseverance and tenacity are key to achieving
sustainable improvements.
We would like to thank the Federal Ministries and other federal, regional and
municipal bodies for their willingness to cooperate during the past year. We
also thank the commissions for their commitment and the Human Rights
Advisory Council for its on-going support. Our particular thanks go to all the
employees of the AOB, who contribute significantly to the fulfilment of our
constitutional mandate.
Günther Kräuter
Vienna, July 2015
Gertrude Brinek
Peter Fichtenbauer